


Tara Sheppard

by Fmfan1980



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, Gen, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 66
Words: 224,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6201835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmfan1980/pseuds/Fmfan1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Tara was Major John Sheppard's half sister? Just a thought I had while writing one of my chapters. Takes place after the Siege of Atlantis, and during 'Seeing Red' of BtVS. I know timelines don't match which is why this is AU. **This story is an AU to my AEM-verse.**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the rights, characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate Atlantis; they belong to their respective owners without whom this fanfiction would not have been possible. All reviews are welcome.

**Stargate Command, 0900 Hours; four days after the Siege of Atlantis.**

It had been four days since the key Atlantis personnel, consisting of Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Carson Beckett, Dr. Rodney MacKay and Major John Sheppard, walked through the Stargate back to Earth for the first time in nearly a year. Following their return, the four of them had been debriefed, and continued to be debriefed by everyone from the President of the United States, to the IOA, to the senior military Command.

Major John Sheppard, the military leader of the Atlantis expedition, had just left the briefing room after hours of the higher ups in the military chain of command going through his handling of the situation on Atlantis, in particular they had numerous questions about what had happened to the previous military leader, Colonel Sumner. The Major repeated once again that he had no choice but to perform a mercy killing, that he had no choice since the Wraith had nearly killed him by sucking out his life force.

"The Colonel wouldn't have wanted to ensure more of that, because I know that I wouldn't want to either. If it were me, I'd want someone to kill me" he told the panel that was briefing him for the fourth straight day. He also told them that they weren't there when it was happening, and if they were; then they would have made the same decision as he did.

As he passed General Landry's empty office, he knew that he wasn't the only one being debriefed on the situation on Atlantis. They had been presumed missing in action for the past year after all, and he heard a couple of days after he returned that the SGC even sent its newest battlecruiser; the Prometheus, to Pegasus, however it was hijacked by a space pirate on the way. The damage that it then received against an organization calling itself the Lucien Alliance, to whom the pirate had promised she would sell weapons grade Naquada, prevented the ship from going further towards the Pegasus galaxy. In the end it was the latest deep space carrier that came to Atlantis' aid during the Siege.

The Major knew that Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Rodney MacKay and Dr. Carson Beckett were also being debriefed about their experiences in Atlantis, but he knew that he'd be taking it harder than them. Shaking his head, he reached the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the locker rooms. The Major knew that today was the last day for his briefing, so all he wanted to do was get back into his civilian clothes and head back out in the world after having spent a year fighting the Wraith.

Years before the assignment that led the Major to work out of McMurdo Base in Antarctica, where he met General O'Neill and was almost brought down by an Ancient Drone, before he found out about the Stargate, the Ancients, and the fact that he had the Ancient Technology Activation gene which made it ridiculously easy for him to control Ancient Technology; he was stationed in almost every continent. As he reached the twenty first floor and headed towards the locker room, he thought back to the argument he had with his media magnate father on joining the Air Force. That fight had dropped a wedge between them that lasted until the present day; Patrick Sheppard never wanted his oldest son to join the Air Force since the man already had a future laid out for his son. Major Sheppard, however, didn't want any part of that future and so, after graduating from Stanford, Major Sheppard joined the Air Force.

Heading into the locker room, he looked around for the one that he had been assigned a year ago and headed towards it. Smiling to himself as he unlocked the unit, he opened the door and took out the one year old clothes that were inside.

"Yeah" said the Major to himself as he picked up a shirt, "I definitely need to get some fresh stuff."

Alone in the locker room, the Major quickly changed into his civilian clothes before he headed back out through the hallways. He knew that Dr. Weir and MacKay were still being debriefed so he made a quick stop to the infirmary where he hoped that Dr. Becket would be after his debriefing.

"Hey Doc" said the Major as he walked into the infirmary, glad that at least one of the members of the Atlantis Expedition had finished their debriefings, "you heading out?"

"Major" said the Scottish doctor while he nodded at the man, "I've got a flight tonight to Glasgow. My mother's waiting for me with my brothers and sisters… can't wait. How about you?"

"Take in the sights, we've been stuck here for four days… I need to get out. Got a P.O. Box here for my mail from San Francisco, so I gotta go check up on that" said the Major as he shrugged his shoulders, "we've got three weeks off for the Daedalus to get back here and resupply, and then we'll be spending two weeks on that ship for the return trip to Atlantis. In the mean time, I guess I could have some fun around town, then once Rodney and Elizabeth are finished with their debriefings… I was going to suggest dinner… or something. But since you're leaving tonight…"

"I know… sorry" said the doctor, "but I'll be back once the Daedalus returns. Elizabeth wants all senior staff to meet and pick the next candidates who'll be returning with us to Atlantis."

"Yea" said the Major as he shook his head, "I won't be there."

"But you're the military commander" said Dr. Beckett.

"I'm betting that the higher ups will place Colonel Caldwell in charge of the military at Atlantis" said the Major with a wave of his hand, "they won't let a Major with my record take charge."

"You are joking?" asked the doctor surprised, "but you are coming back with us, right?"

"No joke" replied the Major as he patted Dr. Beckett's shoulder, "and yes, I'll be going back with you guys, but I'm sure it won't be as the military commander."

"You know what I think?" asked the doctor leaning forward as Major Sheppard raised an eyebrow, "I think you should be in charge."

"After what happened to Lieutenant Ford, and Colonel Sumner?" said the Major, "I wouldn't place any bets on it."

"They know that what happened to them weren't your fault, Major."

"We'll see" replied the Major before he nodded at the doctor and headed back out the same door he came through.

It was about thirty minutes later that he reached his box at the post office when his phone started to ring. Picking it up and activating the line, he brought the phone to his ear while opening the small door with his other hand. The Major was sure that he'll have nothing waiting for him, he was estranged from his family.. and divorced from his wife so he was pleasantly surprised to find an envelope waiting for him inside. His initial surprise made him forget that his cell phone was attached to his ear as Dr. Weir's voice was calling out for him, asking if he was alright.

"Sorry, Elizabeth" said the Major as he took out the envelope and looked at it. He noticed that the envelope itself was yellowing at the edges, but there was no postal stamp, or return address. It just said 'Urgent', along with the Major's name. The Major frowned at the letter and then concentrated on the phone as he walked out of the post office, towards his car, "well, if you and Rodney are done with your debriefings… oh… you're not? The IOA, again? Yeah.. alright… tonight then. Just tell Rodney I promise no citrus, unless he does something to deserve it."

The Major smiled as he put back the phone into his pocket as he reached his car. He took out his keys when he felt a breeze hitting his face. Stopping suddenly, the Major looked at the surrounding trees and noticed that they weren't moving. He looked around once again before he settled on a fair skinned, slim woman with long dark blonde hair looking back at him from the other side of the street. The Major could see that she was wearing a white dress while she clasped her hands together in front of her at the lower part of her body, and smiled at him. Suddenly, there was a sound of a honking horn as the Major turned his head to see a car almost hitting another pedestrian. Shaking his head, he then turned his head again to look at the woman, but she was gone.

The Major shook his head and got into his car. Putting the letter on the passenger seat next to him, he thought back to that woman he just saw and looked at his rear view mirror. Not finding her there again, the Major looked back at the letter and picked it up before carefully tearing the top of the envelope open.

Once it was open, the Major looked inside and just found one neatly folded piece of paper along with an old picture of a smiling little girl. Looking at the back of the picture, he saw the words; 'Tara, 1986… six years old'.

'Tara' though the Major to himself as she looked at the smiling picture again, 'who is… what the… huh?'

The Major put the picture back into the envelope and took out the neatly folded piece of paper and opened it. The more the Major started to read the letter, the more wide his eyes got in surprise.

_My dearest John,_

_By the time you read this letter, I would have been dead for many years. In fact, I can tell you that I will die in two days from the time that I dated this letter. Bone cancer._

_Sorry, that was very rude of me. My name is Laura Maclay, and I knew your father. I was actually his secretary, and we've worked together for a few years. He used to talk about you and your brother all the time in the office, I saw your pictures and I'd tell your father that you'd grow up to be a handsome young man. He was very proud of you, as am I._

_This letter is something that I've been wanting to do for sometime, for something that causes a pain in my chest when I look back to the time I worked for your father. I did something horrible. To be more precise, both your father and I did something horrible. He would confide in me about how bad things had gotten between him and your mother, and I'd talk to him about how things were going with my husband._

_It was just two lonely people, John. We were just two lonely people who were married to people we didn't love, or thought we didn't love. We cared for each other, and were attracted to each other but we never acted on it until one day when it was particularly bad for us both. Suffice it to say, we broke our vows to our partners. After that, though, things started to change for the both of us. We promised each other that it would be the one and only time we did something like that. It was a mistake for us, John. Please don't blame your father. He never told your mother, who he eventually reconciled with, about what happened and I never told my husband._

_However, things had started to get strange at work and I eventually quit after two weeks. Your father knew why I left, and he did everything he could to either change my mind or to get me a new job. I chose neither as my eldest son needed to be looked after at home as my husband had gotten a job, and he insisted that I stay. Although your father was disappointed, he accepted my decision and even placed some money into an account for me every month. I know he felt bad for what he did; he thought it was his fault, but the truth is that there was no one to blame, and at the same time, we were both to blame._

_That deed, however, gave me someone that I could cherish until the day I die. I placed a picture of her in this envelope. Her name is Tara Maclay, she is my daughter; your half sister. I haven't even told your father about her because I know that if I did, then he'll do everything he could to watch out for her. But I know that would have broken up your family since you would have found out that your father cheated on your mother with me. She doesn't know about you because, I was afraid of my husband and what he'd do if he found out I cheated on him; that Tara wasn't his._

_I guess you are wondering why I'm telling you this, and not your brother, or your father. For one, I think that since you're older now, I know that you can understand that this was something that just happened between two adults who needed someone in our lives to care for us. I cared for your father, and he gave me a daughter that I have cherished for years. She's a strong girl, John. She may not realize it, but she's a very strong girl despite what she believes herself. Secondly, you are the one I trust to look out for her wellbeing. If I'm not wrong, you just came back from a far off land, and you found out certain things about yourself. You've earned the respect of those around you for your courage, leadership and heroism, and she'll need that from you. Her biological brother has never been the greatest person in the world, neither has her father been the greatest. But she now has someone she could look up to; she has someone that she could trust._

_I know you don't believe in this, but Tara could explain everything to you. After what you've been through… trust me what she has to say will be easy to believe. Not at first though, just take it slow. She's your sister, John. Please, go to her. Go to your sister, she needs your help._

_With love,_

_Laura Maclay._

The Major read through the letter three times in disbelief. He had known that his parents were not always on the best of terms when he was younger; there were lots of shouting matches due to his working long hours and going overseas for merger talks to expand his company.

'Then, all of a sudden, everything was alright' thought the Major to himself as he read through the letter once again, 'the shouting stopped, dad was home more…. Was it because of this? No, they still divorced later on. I have a sister? Hold on.. how did.. the letters dated in the mid-nineties.. so how can she have known about Atlantis, the Wraith… how..? I gotta go check this out first…. Tara Maclay… I'll call the SGC for her address. No, not the SGC. I wanna keep this quiet for now until I find out what's going on. I'll get on the net, look up Tara and then use my leave and… like Mrs. Maclay said, I'll go check in on her.'

**The Summers Residence, 1400 hours.**

Major Sheppard had taken the first flight out of Colorado Springs after having taken a ran check for dinner with both Dr. Weir and Mackay. When Dr. Weir asking if he was alright, the Major just told her that he needed to go to California on a personal matter; and that since he has leave… he'll be cashing in on a few days to check on something. He didn't tell the leader of the expedition that he had already looked up Tara on the internet and found that from her social media page that she was located in Sunnydale, California; and that she was studying Anthropology at U.C. Sunnydale.

"Alright, John" said Dr. Weir as the Major was driving to the Colorado Springs Airport with only the clothes on his back, his wallet and the envelope, "I just wanted to tell you that I'll be pushing hard for you to be leading the military contingent of the expedition. I guess what I'm trying to say is.. don't look to finishing all of your leave at once. I'll need you to select the new recruits who'll be stationed on Atlantis."

"We'll see what happens, Elizabeth" said the Major, "and thanks."

"See you soon, John" said the diplomat as she cancelled the call while the Major continued to drive. While he was glad that Dr. Weir had every confidence in him, and trusted him.. the only thing that was in the forefront of his mind was Tara.

'I have a sister' thought the Major to himself, 'she's my half-sister… but a sister nevertheless.'

Now, as he drove up to a house by the side of the road in Sunnydale, the Major got out of his rental car and made sure that he had the letter in the inside pocket of the jacket that he was wearing. Closing the door behind him, the Major walked up the pathway to the front porch of the large house in front of him. He looked around before stepping forward to knock on the door. Hesitating for a split second, he was just about to turn around when he suddenly stopped as he felt a strange sensation going through him.

'That's odd' thought the Major to himself as he looked around at his surroundings before he turned towards the door again, 'I've been getting a strange feeling since the plane landed in this city. Like a energy is going through me, it's the same sensation I have of sitting in the Control Chair back in Atlantis.. or at the Antarctic Outpost.'

Frowning to himself again, the Major reminded himself that all he needed to do was confirm some things with this woman.

'Come on, Sheppard' though the Major to himself, 'you fought the Wraith, how bad can it be talking to a woman who could may well be your sister.. be a man. Come on.'

The Major then rang the door bell twice. It wasn't too long before she heard a female voice from the other side of the door shouted 'hold on'.

Smiling to himself as he heard the hurrying of feet that seemed to come down towards him, he steeped back as the door opened and he looked at a redheaded young woman in a white shirt and blue jeans.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am" said the Major as he nodded his head while the redhead smiled, "my name is Major John Sheppard, U.S. Air Force. I'm looking for a Tara Maclay."

"Tara?" asked the redhead as she looked at the Major, "what do you…"

"Willow?" asked another young woman who was walking down the stairs in a blue top and jeans. The Major took a look at the young woman and had a flashback to the woman he saw outside the post office.

'They could be… no.. no way' thought the Major to himself as he saw that new arrival smile at Willow, and then smile at him while standing next to the redhead, 'she and that woman… don't tell me that she's Tara's mother…. But….'

"Ummm" said Willow as she looked at the Major, "this is Tara."

"Hi" said the Major as he mentally reminded himself to calm down, "Tara, Tara Maclay?"

"Ye.. yes" said the young woman nervously as she looked at Willow, and then at the Major again, "I'm…. ummm… her."

"My name is John… Major John Sheppard. I'm with the Air Force and… umm…. Well, I know that this will sound weird but, I received a letter and I was hoping that I could… look…. Maybe you should read it first."

The Major reached into his inside pocket and noticed that the redheaded girl seemed to tense up real quick. Putting that aside for a moment, the man then brought out the envelope. HE took out the picture first and handed it to the blonde haired woman. He stood outside in the porch just as Tara took the picture and looked at it with her eyes wide open in shock.

"Tara?" asked Willow as she looked at the shock on her girlfriend's face, and then looked back at the Major, and then back at Tara again, "Tara, baby? You alright?"

"How… how?" asked Tara as she held on to the picture with both hands as she looked at it, and then at the Major with tears in her eyes, "this…. This pic.. picture was taken when my mother took me to a lake. I picked up that flower for her.. she saw me smile and she took the picture. It was my favourite…. I.. I thought my father threw it away with the rest of her belongings.. I mean… how.. how did you get this?"

"Maybe this letter would explain better than I can" said the Major as he handed the young woman the letter.

Willow watched Tara read the letter with her eyes wide open as she stumbled back and grabbed the banister of the staircase while she continued to read the letter. Willow looked at the Major, and then at her soul mate… completely unaware of what was going on. All she could see was tears coming from Tara's eyes as she sat on the stairs in shock while she read through the letter again before she looked up at Major Sheppard.

"You… you… you're my brother?" said a shocked Tara, "but…. I mean…"

"What?" asked Willow as she looked at Tara, and then at the Major whose face had become serous before he turned and looked around at his surroundings.

Just then, he heard popping sounds that came from behind the house; the same sounds made from a nine-milimeter weapon.

"Get down!" shouted the Major as he pushed Willow and Tara down on the floor and covered the both of them while whoever it was holding the weapon, continued to fire. The Major felt both girls flinch as three more shots were fired. The Major got up first and looked around before asking them if there was a back door.

"My God" said Willow as she looked at Tara, "Buffy!"

Willow quickly got up and ran towards the kitchen before the Major could stop her. He looked at Tara, who was looking back at him, and told her to stay down when he heard a scream from outside. Running the same place that Willow had run through earlier, with Tara getting up and running close behind him, the Major made it through the backdoor only to see a girl laying on the ground bleeding from her abdomen with a dark haired man trying to stop the bleeding while Willow was trying to comfort her.

"Tara" said the Major as he turned around, "call the ambulance, now… go.."

"Who?" said the young man as he looked at the Major running over to Buffy and feeling for a pulse, "who are you?"

"Xander" said Willow with tears in her eyes and she looked at Buffy, "later… I.. I…."

"Get some blankets" said the Major as he looked at Xander, "go.. move it.."

"Right" said Xander as he rushed back into the house while Tara rushed out the backdoor while talking on the phone.

The Major put his hands over the wound and pressed down to stop the bleeding, but he knew that it was going to be close. He knew that without medical attention, the girl would die.

"Buffy" said Willow as she leaned down while the Major tried to stop the bleeding, and while Tara was on the phone, "who did this? Buffy? Buffy?"

"War…." Was the only thing that Buffy could say as she continued to look up at the sky.

"Warren?" said Willow in anger. The Major noticed the rage in her voice as he looked at Willow, and then immediate looked at the shocked look on Tara's face when he looked back after seeing patches of Willow's red hair turning black.

It was then that a breeze hit the Major, just as it did back at Colorado Springs. Looking away from Tara, and behind her.. he saw that same woman as earlier that day looking back at him and smiling. He noticed her eyes were alternating between him and Buffy when he turned back to the young woman lying down on the grass, and just knew what he had to do. It was as if he was acting on instinct.

The Major remembered the feeling he had when he sat on the Control Chair, the same feeling he was having now. The same feeling that he experienced with the Ancient known as Chaya Sar on Proculus when she shared her essence with him. It was a strange, but warm feeling… the same feeling that he was getting now.

As if by instinct, he placed his hand over the wound. He knew that the bullet had to be taken out before anything could be done.. and just as he thought it; Willow, Tara, and the just arrived blanket carrying Xander looked on in surprise as the bullet came out of the wound and into the Major's hand.

'The Ancients had weird powers' thought the Major to himself, 'at least that's what I was told. But the gene only activated Ancient technology…. Why am I able to do this, and why now?'

The Major then closed his eyes and the others looked on as there was a strange sound followed by a brilliant white glow from his hand. It wasn't too long before Buffy was able to move and sit up as she looked around confused before settling her eyes on the Major, who looked back at her confused.

"Ummm…" said Tara into the phone, "sorry, false alarm. Yeah… bye… sorry again. Yeah."

"Who are you?" asked Buffy as the Major looked behind him and caught a glimpse of the woman again standing behind Tara. He saw her smile before thanking him, and vanishing in a brilliant glow. The Major then looked at a still shocked Tara, who started to run towards him as he felt himself falling onto the ground.

"John… John.."

"Tara" said Xander who looked at a stunned Buffy who was getting up while Willow brought up the Slayer's bloodstained shirt to her abdomen where the bullet hole had been. The redhead looked up at Buffy, and told her that she was healed, before looking back at Tara who was leaning over Major Sheppard as she continued to call his name, "who.. who is this guy?"

"He's her brother" said Willow as Xander and Buffy looked at the redhead in shock, while Tara continued to try waking up the Major.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 1420 hours.**

Tara could only look at the face of the man who claimed to be her brother. She couldn't believe it, but she read the letter that was addressed to him; a letter that that had her mother's handwriting, and her mother's signature. The blonde young woman glanced to her side as Xander and Willow were making sure that Buffy was alright before she looked back at Major Sheppard. She had seen what he did with the bullet, she saw him heal Buffy's wound, however she never sensed any magic use from the man.

"John" said Tara softly as she leaned forward and caressed the man's cheeks, "John?"

"Hey Tara" said Xander as he approached the blonde witch after Buffy insisted that she was doing alright, that they need to look to Major Sheppard, "I never knew you had a half-brother."

"Neither did I" said Tara as she looked up at the dark haired man.

"Xander" said Buffy as she straightened her bloodstained shirt while Willow continued to fuss over her "you carry the top half, and I'll get the legs. Put him on the couch in the living room."

"Oh fun" said Xander as he bent down and put his arms under the Major's armpits and brought him up, "this guy is heavier than he looks."

"Yea" said Buffy as she grabbed his legs and the both of them picked him off the ground and carried him up the stairs and into the house. All the while, Tara kept on looking at the man being carried away in shock as Willow came up to the blonde and stood right next to her. The redhead interlocked her fingers with Tara's as they looked at the backdoor close after Buffy and Xander carried the body of the Major into the house.

"Tara?" said Willow softly as the blonde wiped some tears from her eyes, "this man, I mean.. he comes out of the blue and claims to have a letter from your mother. I mean.. I want him to be your brother, but the last brother we met tried to take you away by force. I.. I just want to make sure that this guy is.. you know… your brother."

"The letter was from my mother" said Tara as her voice broke as she looked up at the sky, "her handwriting, her.. her…. oh my God."

"Tara?" asked Willow as Tara let go of her hand and quickly rushed into the house, "Tara?"

Willow followed Tara up the stairs as the blonde slammed the back door open and ran into the kitchen as fast as possible, causing both Buffy and Xander to jump after they put the unconscious body of the Major on the couch. The two of them saw Tara grab the banister before she ran up the stairs, and then saw Willow as she rushed into the foyer at the bottom of the stairs. Buffy and Xander met up with Willow, at the bottom of the stairs, and told them that Tara must have seen, or sensed something in the backyard, that made her go back into the house.

"Willow! Buffy! Xander" shouted a panicked Tara as the redhead, looked at the blonde before they, and Xander, rushed up the stairs and ran into the room that Tara shared with Willow, the same room where the now deceased Joyce Summers used to stay. Rushing in, they saw Tara standing with her back to them as she looked at the window that faced the backyard.

"Tara, baby?" asked Willow as she walked up to the blonde who raised her hand and pointed a trembling finger at the window.

The redhead walked to the window and took a closer look before she gasped and took a few more steps back, putting her hands up to her mouth in shock.

"Oh God" said Willow as she turned and looked at Buffy and Xander before looking back at the window again. Both Buffy and Xander walked past the two witches and then saw what Tara and Willow had seen. There were spider cracks on the glass that spread out from two holes, one at the middle of the window, and the other one at the upper edge. Xander looked up at the ceiling of the room and pointed at a hole. Buffy, on the other hand looked around until she found a hole that was made at the far side of the room, directly across from the window and above a chest of drawers. Willow pointed at where Tara was standing as both Buffy and Xander looked back at her, while Tara turned around and faced Willow.

"She was standing right there" said Willow as Xander walked up behind Tara and looked at the hole in the middle of the window, and then to Tara's back, "she was right there… it.. it… would.. would have gone through and…"

"I'd be dead" said Tara as she collapsed on both her knees as she brought her hand over her mouth and started crying, "if.. if.. John hadn't come when he did… I… Willow…"

"I'd have lost you, baby" said the redhead as she got onto her knees, her eyes red, as she hugged Tara, "I'd have lost you. Oh God, I'd have lost you."

Tara buried her face in Willow's neck as the redhead felt warm tears falling onto her shoulder before she looked up at Xander. The dark haired man, told Willow that he'll let her and Tara be alone for a while.

"Yeah, Will" said Buffy, "we'll be downstairs I'll check his pockets for his I.D, I need to make sure he is who he says he is. I don't think any of us wants a disgruntled Initiative soldier here. That means…"

"I'll find out about him, Buff" said Willow softly as she rubbed Tara's back while she wiped her tears with her free hand, "but I need to… you know."

"Yeah" said Buffy as she stepped back after Willow nodded at Tara whose shoulders were trembling. Buffy placed her hand on Tara's should and spoke to her gently, "Tara, we're glad you're safe. I'm glad you're safe."

Buffy saw Tara nod her head before she, and Xander, walked out of the room and ran down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, the both of them walked into the living room where Major Sheppard was lying on the couch and checked his pockets.

"Got his wallet" said Buffy as she raised her arm which held on to a black object. Xander nodded his head and walked over to Buffy who opened the wallet and looked at his I.D, "I've got a California I.D, San Francisco address."

"Air Force" said Xander as he pointed at the Air Force I.D in his wallet, "at least that part is true."

"Yeah" replied Buffy softly, "but being Tara's half-brother? I don't know, I don't really know what to think.. I mean.. this guy used some sort of magic to save me, and he claims that he's Tara's brother. I mean, we've met her family and…"

"Hey" said Xander as he noticed a piece of paper and a picture on the floor near the foyer. The young man went to pick it up and then took it back to Buffy. Reading the paper before handing it to the blonde Slayer, Xander told Buffy that it was a letter; that Tara must have dropped it when she ran to the backyard. The young man then gave the letter to Buffy to read before he looked at the picture of a young Tara holding a flower.

"This is a picture when Tara was younger" said Xander as he handed the picture to Buffy, who looked at it and then looked at the Major, "if he had all of this with him when he came here…"

"I don't know" said Buffy softly as she looked back at Xander, and then at the stairs, "I want Tara to have a better brother than the ass who tried to take her away; but with this guy being with the military, and the Initiative knowing about me being the Slayer, or the existence of demons and magic… as far as I know. He could have conjured up this whole letter thing on orders of the military to get closer to Tara, and possibly Willow. They're the most powerful magic users we know and… and if the military's involved in this, then it could be bad."

"Think maybe Riley will know something?" asked Xander as Buffy flinched while looking at the Major. Xander then mentally kicked himself for even mentioning the man's name, since he had broken Buffy's heart and she still held some semblance of feelings for him, 'feelings that made her have sex with Spike, maybe?'

"Yeah" said Buffy softly as she turned and looked at Xander, "I'll ask him, if he's not in some far away jungle somewhere."

"Yeah" said Xander as he scratched his head and followed Buffy to the kitchen, "but what are we going to tell Dawn when she comes back from school."

**Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy; the last day of the Siege.**

Major Sheppard was conducting sweeps of the lower levels of Atlantis with Teyla and three Marines from the Daedalus by his side. His team, as well as four others, were scouring the lower levels of the city after Teyla claimed that she could still sense the Wraith in the city. After they cleared their assigned areas, the Major and his team headed for the next floor. He knew that they had a job to do, that even though they had tricked the Wraith by switching Atlantis' shield to a cloak following a massive nuclear blast designed to trick the Wraith into thinking that the Expedition had engaged the self-destruct, and destroyed the city.

Once the Wraith fleet had taken the bait, MacKay and the others cheered when they saw the Wraith hive ships breaking orbit, thinking that they had won. Following the euphoria of beating the Wraith, Dr. Weir assigned teams to go through the city and take out any Wraith that remained. He had already heard of one them killing a Wraith that tried to detonate an explosive device which would not only have killed the Wraith and the team, it would have also caused that area of the city to flood; further damaging the city.

As the Major and his team stepped out of the short range transporter, they covered each other as they continued to move through the hallways when suddenly, Major Sheppard signalled all of them to stop.

"Major?" asked Teyla.

"Do you hear that?" asked the Major as he peeked around into an adjacent hallway which was covered in darkness.

"I do not hear anything" said Teyla as she shook her head.

"John"

"There" said the Major as he brought his P90 up and turned on the flash light. He moved into the adjacent hallway and shone the light on his P90 into the hallway, "you don't hear that?"

"Damn it, Tara!" shouted another man's voice own the hallway, "you're a demon.. you'll always be a demon."

"Tara? Demon? What the hell?" asked Major as he walked towards the darkness while Teyla called after him, telling him that she didn't sense any Wraith.

"Major! John!" was the last thing that Major Sheppard heard as he rushed into the dark hallway.

"Tara?" said John as he aimed his P90 in front of him as he used the flashlight to brighten the hallway, "Tara?"

The Major kept on going until he reached a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. The Major knew that the doors were out of place, that it didn't fit in with the Ancient décor that was evident throughout Atlantis. Putting his P90 down, the Major walked towards the doors and pushed them open. As he walked forward, he found himself surrounded by a bright white light which then faded a few seconds later when he found himself at the foot of a bed where a older blonde woman lay. Putting his weapon down and staring in shock at the sight before him of the woman who had no hair, was deathly pale and seemed to be hooked on to life support equipment.

"Tara" said the woman softly as she looked to her left, which was when the Major noticed a blonde girl who slowly stood up. He could tell that the blonde was crying as she walked towards the older woman and reached down for her hand, "Tara, my sweetheart."

"Momma" said Tara as the Major saw her shoulders tremble, "dad and Donnie are…. Are out.. outside. I.. I… can get.. get them."

"Sweetie" said the woman that Major Sheppard guessed was Laura Maclay, "I need to talk to you alone."

"O.. ok" said Tara as she nodded her head.

"I am so sorry, my Tara" said Laura as Tara shook her head, "you have to stand alone for now. I will watch over you but.. but once you come of age. I want you.. I need you to make your own way."

"Momma" said Tara as her voice broke, "I.. I…"

The Major walked slowly to the other side of the bed as Laura continued to talk to Tara.

"Remember what I told you, Tara" said Laura, "don't believe what they tell you. You are my light and while Richard and Donnie may try to tarnish that light, I know that you will shine even brighter. You will shine as bright as the sun, my little Tara."

"Momma" said Tara as she tightened her hold on Laura's hand, "please… don't.. don't say things like... Like that."

"Don't tell your father, or your brother" said Laura as she started to pant, "I… I have kept an account for you. They don't know because if they.. if they did.. they would take it away from you. The… the.. the music box you got me… inside… side.. drawer…. Everything you need. For you… when.. when you come of age.. leave.. find yourself. Understand?"

"Momma" said Tara as tears ran down her eyes while the Major could only look on helplessly, "don't go."

"I'll be always watching you" said Laura as she looked at the ceiling before she looked directly at Major Sheppard who took a few steps back in surprise, "there will always be someone watching over you."

The Major saw Laura give him a small smile on her face before she closed her eyes and the machines around her started to beep wildly.

"Help!" shouted Tara as she tried to shake Laura awake before she looked behind her, "daddy, Donnie!"

The Major saw the doors on the other side of the room slam open and in ran two nurses and a doctor, followed by a young man and an older man. The Major saw the doctor gently pull the crying Tara away before he saw the older man, who he guessed was Tara's father grab her arm roughly and pull her to one side.

"What did you do?" hissed the man that the Major guessed was Richard Maclay, "what did you do?"

"She used her demonic powers to kill mom" said the one that the Major guessed was Donnie who looked at Tara with anger on his face, and then at Laura's body, and back at Tara, "she killed mom."

"Two demons" said Richard as he roughly pulled Tara closer while the Major raised his weapon at the man, telling him to let her go. However, no one heard him since Richard pushed Tara away and told her to get back home.. that she'll be dealt with later on.

"Daddy" said Tara as tears streaked down her face while she looked at Laura's body, and then at Richard again, "please, let me stay."

"Leave, demon" hissed Donnie as he walked closer to Tara, "if you get emotional here then your demon half will come out and kill everyone. Is that what you want? Huh? You want to kill everyone… you know very well that we're the only ones who can prevent it from coming out.. so go home. Go home and wait for us there… we'll conduct a cleansing tonight."

"No" said Tara as she shook her head, "no… please."

"I'll beat you again if you don't go" said Donnie to the shock of Major Sheppard as he saw Tara looking at Laura and then at the men in her family before she was roughly taken by the arms again and pushed out of the door by Richard; all the while she was shouting for her mother, and apologizing to Richard and Donnie, begging them to let her stay.

"Tara" shouted the Major as he ran through the doors that Richard just pushed Tara out of when he was suddenly surrounded by a bright white light. Once the light faded away, the Major found himself in the living room of a house. Looking around, he saw that both Donnie, Richard and another girl were commanding Tara to do all sorts things around the house, while at other times they were putting her down. They kept on saying that she was a demon who would kill everyone and that she shouldn't go out anymore, that they were the only ones who could keep the demon in check.

'Demon' said the Major as he looked around the house, 'won't be surprised if strange things exist on Earth, hell… we're dealing with space vampires every week. Hell, I'll laugh if there are actual movie vampires on Earth.. that would be a change.'

The Major saw another flash of light as everything changed to him being in Tara's room. He saw her packing a few bags just as a car started honking from downstairs. Walking over to the window, the major saw that there was a cab waiting at the front lawn as Tara headed to the same window and told the driver that she'll be right down.

"Ok" said Tara as the Major turned around to face Tara, "I.. I've got everything…. Now, as long as they.. they don't find me, I'll be alright. A… a new life… away… away from daddy, from Donnie, from Beth… I… I.. momma, stay with me.. please."

The Major saw Tara walk out the door with two large bags in her hand just as there was another bright flash of light. Slowly the Major started to feel that he was lying down on something soft and comfortable. He then started to remember that he used strange abilities to save the life of a young woman. Hearing voices in the distance, the Major slowly opened his eyes. However, he found himself looking at another pair of eyes that belonged to a young brunette girl who was kneeling on the floor, and facing him.

"Hi" she said, "I'm Dawn, and you're hot."

TBC.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 1430 hours.**

Tara was just kneeling with both knees on the carpeted floor of her room as she continued to hug Willow tightly. The sight of the holes on the window, as well as the glass on the carpet and the holes made by both of the bullets on the ceiling and above the chest of drawers. The same chest of drawers where Willow was standing while she was talking to Tara. The blonde witch had last night only decided to come back to her girlfriend after a few months apart due to her abuse of magic, and if her brother hadn't come when he did.. Tara knew that one of the bullets may well have him her, and then Willow.

'I'd be without my love' thought Tara to herself as she tightened her hold on Willow while tears fell onto the redhead's shoulder as the blonde thought about what could have been, 'I'd be dead and… and Willow… oh God, my Willow.'

"Tara" said Willow softly into the blonde's ear as she placed her hand gently on the back of Tara's head before looking into her eyes, "you're safe. You're here with me… with us. You're not going anywhere, Buffy will get Warren, and when she does…. He… he'll.."

"Willow" said Tara as she wiped her eyes before noticing the redhead's hair going black just for a few seconds, "I… I… think we… we… should let.. let.. the police deal with.. with Warren."

"Alright, sweetie" said Willow as she caressed Tara's cheek before planting a kiss on her cheek, "you're safe. I.. I don't know what would have happened if you were standing there. I.. I love you so much that… that if anything happened to you…"

"I love you" said Tara as she quickly kissed the redhead before she could finish what she wanted to tell Tara. It was then that they heard footsteps coming up the stairs before Willow stood up after which she helped Tara up as Buffy and Xander walked into the room. Tara was looking around the room before she settled on the two holes on the ceiling, and the wall, again until Xander called for her. Turning her head, she saw a nervous Buffy playing with the letter that she had read earlier that day.

"Sorry" said Buffy as she handed the letter back to Tara, "I kinda read it."

"Me too" said Xander as he put his hand up, "so.. I think… well, is he really your brother?"

"I.. I don't know" said Tara as Willow wrapped her arm around Tara's arm, "my mom never said anything about John, or anyone else. As far as I know, my father.. I mean the man who came to take me away was my only family. He, Donny, Beth and the others."

"Tara, I'm sorry" said Buffy, "but we need to check on him. We need to know if he really is who he says he is; and most importantly, I need to know if he's part of the Initiative."

"Buffy" said Tara shaking her head, "I.. I don't think he is. I… I would have sensed deception, and.. and he was as confused as me."

"Buffy's right, baby" said Willow as she held on tighter to Tara, "the Initiative wanted to learn about magic. And they could have done something to hide his true intentions."

"I wouldn't be surprised if some part of the Initiative survived and has been trying to gather magic users, or charms, or something" said Buffy as she shrugged her shoulders and looked at Xander before looking at Willow and Tara, "and the both of you are the most powerful witches I know."

"If a group broke away from the people who controlled the Initiative" said Xander, "they could come after the two of you using an known brother. At least that's what I'd do."

"Soldier boy memories?" asked Willow.

"Yea" replied Xander, "see I still have that stuff in my head. Comes in useful sometimes."

"Of course, Xand" replied Buffy looking at Xander before she turned to face Tara, "it's for you guys, Tara."

"We could just ask him" said Tara despite knowing that Buffy, Xander and Willow had already made their minds, "I mean, I can feel it in my soul that he's my brother. That the letter he had was written by my mother, I mean… I.. I just feel uncomfortable checking up on him when we could just wait until he wakes up."

"Tara" said Willow as she stepped in between her girlfriend, Buffy and Xander, "I.. I know a truth spell that could…"

"No" said Tara shaking her head as Willow immediately apologized. The redhead knew how Tara felt about misusing magic to complete a task when it could be completed another way. But the only other way that Willow saw to find the truth about the Major's involvement with the Initiative was using a technique that the redhead hadn't used for a long time.

"It's a bad habit, I'm sorry" said Willow shaking her head, "I… I can try hacking into his personnel file. I'm sure that I can find a clue on if he's part of the Initiative."

"No" said Tara shaking her head as Willow frowned, "if.. if it gives you peace of mind, then maybe.. maybe just a basic search. I mean, I.. I don't know if you can find anything on him and me being related since I know he didn't know about us either. But, I mean… nothing that would… you know, I mean… can you find something that's already public?"

"Yea" said Willow as she headed to a table at the other end of the room while the others followed behind her. Once they reached the table Tara stood next to Willow, who took a seat as she opened her laptop, while Buffy and Xander stood behind the redhead. They saw Willow go to the search bar and type in 'John Sheppard' and frowned as she received thousands of hits. Buffy then asked to try just 'Major John Sheppard Air Force' which Willow typed into the search bar before frowning at the results that appeared on screen.

"He doesn't really have an online presence" said Willow, "nothing actually. I mean the only mention of his name is on the Wikipedia page of a Patrick Sheppard."

"His father?" asked Buffy as she leaned forward before looking back at Tara who was looking transfixed at the screen.

"I think so" said Willow as she clicked on the link which brought her to another page that had Patrick's profile as well as a picture of a grey haired man in the early sixties.

"This could be your real father, Tara" said Xander as Tara looked back at him, and then at the screen once again. It was then she noticed Willow's eyes go wide as the redhead continued reading the profile.

"Oh"

"My"

"God"

"What?" asked Tara as she looked back at Willow, Xander and Buffy who were leaning forward while looking at the screen, "guys? Willow?"

"Patrick Sheppard is the father of David Sheppard, and John Sheppard" said Willow as she pointed at the screen, "worth over…"

"Holy crap" said Xander as he looked on with eyes wide open, "look at the zero's, and look at aa the places where he has houses."

"He's a utilities mogul" said Buffy as Tara stepped back before turning around and closing her eyes, "he's got his fingers everywhere. Oil, gas, clean energy, telecommunications…. Holy crap."

"Ummm… Tara, your dad's loaded?" said Willow as she turned back while Tara was just looking down at the floor before she asked them to stop.

"OK" said Tara nervously, "I.. I should get down there. I.. I mean… yeah.. I.. I gotta go."

"Tara" said Willow as she got up from her chair and headed towards the door as Tara just rushed out of the room and towards the stairs, "Tara, wait."

They watched Tara rush out of the room before Buffy turned to Xander and asked him to follow her while Willow tried to hack into the Major's personnel file. Xander told the redhead to be careful, that if he really is part of the Initiative, then it's most likely that his file could be flagged if someone without any authorization checks on it.

"Nah" said Willow as she turned back to look at her laptop while Buffy placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder, "I'll be careful."

"Oh, Xander" said Buffy as she took the dark haired young man to one side before she heard the sound, of the back door closing shut, "Dawn will be back soon so… could you, you know… just keep her away from…."

It was then that they heard the main door open before closing shut as a surprised voice came up the staircase and into the room occupied by Buffy, Xander and Willow.

"Hey guys" said Dawn, "anyone home? And why is there a man in the living lying on our couch? Guys?"

"Xander" said Buffy as he nodded his head, "go."

After watching Xander rush out of the room before he shut the door behind him, Buffy turned back to look at Willow who was already typing furiously on the keyboard. The blonde Slayer walked up to the redhead and placed her hand on Willow's shoulder before giving a gentle squeeze, silently telling the redhead that she was by her side.

"This would be so much easier with magic" said Willow as she continued to furiously type.

"You just got Tara back, Will. Maybe we should ease up on the magic stuff?" said Buffy as Willow nodded her head while she watched the Department of Defence logo briefly flash before Willow leaned back and smiled, "so, we're in?"

"Uh huh" said Willow as she leaned forward again and continued to type furiously, "I'm trying to hide my trail, and…. and we have maybe two minutes? You'd think that the Department of Defence would have stronger security than this."

While Willow was typing something in a query box, Buffy picked up the phone in the room and dialled a number that she was told to call in emergencies when she was part of the Initiative. She had no idea if the number would even work since the organization was supposed to have been broken up, so she knew it was a huge risk. But if she needed to find out if out if Riley knew anything, then this was the best way to try reach out to him.

'I'm sure that this line is monitored' thought Buffy to herself when the other line was suddenly picked up, with a voice on the other line saying that this she had reached a flower shop.

"Umm.." said Buffy confused. She was given this number by Professor Walsh during her initiation as a secure way to contact the Initiative if there was no other way to communicate, however, she played it cool saying that she needed to talk to Riley about someone who could be from the previous version of the Initiative, "his name is John Sheppard, a Major with the Air Force. And if he is Initiative, then I want Riley here to take him back. You people are messing with things that are beyond your understanding.. again. So get this message to Riley, and tell him to get here as soon as possible."

Buffy then put the phone back down on the cradle, sighed, and walked back to Willow. It took a few seconds for Willow to retrieve the Major's file. However, she never realized that since the Major was a part of the Atlantis Expedition; and by extension a member of the SGC whose files are monitored twenty-four seven even if someone with authorization logged in to check on the file, a red flag was immediately raised at Homeworld Security.

**Briefing Room, SGC, 1445 hours.**

Dr. Weir was talking to General Landry who had some Airmen moving some of his belongings to his new office at the SGC. The man, who'd be taking over from General Jack O'Neill, was drinking a cup of coffee as he talked to Dr. Weir about the reports he had read about what she experienced in Atlantis. He still recalled General O'Neill walking up the steps to his home before telling the man that he was going to be the base commander for the SGC. Shocked, General Landry would learn about the threats faced by the planet as General O'Neill talk to him in the living of his home. It was a few days earlier that he received another report from General O'Neill that the Atlantis Expedition had contacted them, and that a team was being sent to Pegasus to shore up the defences of the city.

He was involved in the debriefing of Dr. Weir and the other key Atlantis personnel while he was still moving into his new home in Colorado Springs, and now.. all that remained was getting his important belongings to his new office.

"I hope you have some personnel in mind, Dr. Weir" said the General as he had a relaxed conversion with the Expedition leader. He knew that days of debriefings, including one that just concluded with the IOA, must have been grating on the woman's nerves. So he asked her for a sit down, just the two of them, over a cup of coffee.

"Dr. Jackson would be a huge help to Atlantis" said Dr. Weir.

"He's excited" said the General as he took a sip of his coffee, "he's already begun his preparations to move to Pegasus once the Daedalus returns to Earth."

"I still can't believe SG-1's been retired" said Dr. Weir, "Dr. Jackson will be coming with us to Atlantis, Teal'c is helping the Jaffa create a new government after they earned their freedom from the Goa'uld, and Colonel Carter's head of research at Area 51."

"It's an end of an era" said the General, "but I'm sure that the new commander can select a team that will be just as good as the previous iteration."

"I'm sure, sir" said Dr. Weir as she looked at the Airmen moving boxes in the adjacent office before looking back at the General, "how are you holding up?"

"As well as I could be" said General Landry, "I'd assume you felt the same as I am right now when you were commander of this place."

"First I thought the President was joking. Then I read the mission reports and…. lets just say that my first day here didn't go that smoothly" said Dr. Weir, "especially with Anubis' fleet coming to end us all."

"Let's hope my transition into this place is easier than that" said the General as Dr. Weir gave him a smile.

"Oh, you never know" replied Dr. Weir as the General gave a small smile, "Ba'al just might reappear tomorrow."

"Don't jinx the first say of me commanding ths place, Dr. Weir" said the General as Dr. Weir took a sip of her coffee before they looked at the metal stairs as Walter walked up and entered the briefing room. He told the both of them General Landry had a call from General O'Neill on Line One. The General then nodded his head as he motioned towards Dr. Weir to follow him into the office.

Once inside, he picked up the phone as Dr. Weir sat on the chair across from his desk and looked at some of the boxes before looking at the suddenly concerned face of General Landry.

"Jack" said the General, "yea, I have her with me. Oh ok…. Hold on."

"General?" asked Dr. Weir as General Landry placed the phone back on the cradle, but not before pressing the speaker button on the phone so that the both of them could hear what General O'Neill was saying, "what's going on?"

"General O'Neill wants to talk to the both of us together" said General Landry as Dr. Weir looked on in concern.

"Elizabeth" said General O'Neill's voice as Dr. Weir leaned forward, "do you have any idea where Sheppard is?"

"Major Sheppard said he had something personal to take care off in California, General" said Dr. Weir, "I think he said he was going down to a place called Sunnydale?"

"Ok" said General O'Neill, "fits with what we've got."

"Jack, what's going on?" asked General Landry.

"Sheppard's personnel file was flagged after someone accessed it, someone from Sunnydale" said the General's voice over the phone as General Landry and Dr. Weir looked at each other concerned before looking at the phone again, "the geeks traced the I.P address to a residential area."

"Did they get anything?" asked General Landry as Dr. Weir look out her phone, and then remembered that cell phone didn't receive a signal all the way down in the bowels of the SGC.

"Just saw his redacted file. Whoever it was just got just cut the signal but the trace seems to have been successful" said the General, "we've tried to call him on his cell, but no one's picking up. I'm sending a team to…"

"Sir" said Dr. Weir, "if I could suggest something? Let me accompany the team, if these are civilians then they'd probably respond to me on why they checked up on the Major, than they would with someone from the military. No offense."

"Fine" said General O'Neill, "I'll have Davis and the team meet you at the Sunnydale Army Base. I want you to take Daniel with you, I mean if you wanna go the diplomatic route first.. then I can't think of anyone better to accompany you."

"Thank you" said Dr. Weir.

**The Summer Residence, Sunnydale, that same time.**

Major Sheppard slowly opened his eyes, only to be confronted by another pair of eyes looking back at him. Before he could say anything to the young woman who was kneeling n the floor with a smile on her face, she told him that her name was Dawn, and that she thought he was hot.

Groaning as he slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position while Dawn slowly stood up, she looked behind her and shouted that the Major was awake. Her shout made the Major flinch before he rubbed his forehead as he tried to relieve the stinging in his brain.

"So" said Dawn as she turned back to look at the Major, "you're really Tara's brother? I mean that's what Xander told me before he left to talk to Tara and…"

"Yeah" replied the Major as he rubbed the sides of his forehead as the both of them heard the back door open and then close shut, before hearing footsteps coming in from the rear of the house, and form the top of the stairs to his right side.

"John?" asked Tara as she walked in with Xander, "are… are you alright?"

"Yeah" said the Major as he stood up and looked at the blonde before he gave a little shrug, "I feel like a truck drove over my head, and then just for the fun of it.. it decided to back up and run over it again."

"Oh" said Tara as the Major saw her look at him, and then look back down on the floor nervously.

"So" said Major Sheppard as he looked at the group in front of him before looking at the nervous Tara. He noticed that the blonde he saved walked over to Tara and stood in front of her protectively, as did the redhead. He then asked the blonde if she was feeling alright.

"Yeah" said Buffy, "what was that?"

"So, Tara" said the Major as he sought to quickly change the subject, "I take it that these are your friends?"

"Ye.. yes" said Tara as she nodded her head before looking down at the carpet again while the Major gave a little frown. He then recalled the way that she was treated by the Maclay's and shook his head before asking his sister to introduce them to him.

"I'm Dawn. We've met" said the brunette with a wave and a grin on her face, "do you fly planes? I mean jets, you know…."

"Yea" said the Major as Dawn jumped and looked at Buffy who rolled her eyes before the brunette looked back at the Major.

"Can you take me up?" asked Dawn excitedly, "it's so cool and…"

'Dawn" said Buffy as she glared at her sister, "not now."

"Ummm" said Tara, "thi… this is Xander, Buffy.. and… umm… Willow."

"Her friend, Willow" said the redhead as Tara looked at the Major and then at the carpet once again, "just friends, you know.. nothing more… besties…"

The Major looked at the look on Tara's face as she glanced at him once again while Willow was talking before looking back down nervously.

"Tara" said the Major, "I was hoping that we could.. you know… just talk and.."

"Before that" said Buffy, "we need to know a few things about you. How do we know that you are who you…."

"Hold on" said the Major as he raised his hand before reaching inside his left pocket to take out a cell phone that was vibrating on silent mode. Looking at the caller I.D. he looked back up at the group and told them that he had to take the call.

"You can take it here" said Buffy as Tara glanced at her, and then at the Major.

"It's my boss, so… yeah… I'll be outside" said the Major as he walked to the door and stepped out, "I'll be right back."

It was a few seconds later that the group inside the house heard the Major shout into his phone before he walked back into the house with his phone still on his ear, while frowning at Tara and the others.

"Elizabeth" said the Major as he sighed and put a hand into his pocket, "I'm sure they.. I understand about the… Elizabeth, they're my sister's friends and…"

"You have a sister?" asked Dr. Weir who was just leaving the main floor lobby as she walked outside into the Cheyenne Mountain parking lot with Daniel, who looked back at her confused, "John, your file doesn't say anything about having a sister. How can you be sure that…?"

"Look, I am" said Major Sheppard as he looked at Tara, "she's from my father's side. I just found out about her after we were rescued."

"I'm heading to the Sunnydale Army Base with a team sent by General O'Neill, along with Dr. Jackson and Major Davis. We'll talk about her then, and about the one who broke into your file."

"They're just kids, Elizabeth" said the Major as he looked at Tara, who in turn looked back at Willow and Buffy.

"What did you do?" asked Tara as she noticed Willow looking away from her and at Buffy.

"I… I asked her to…" said Buffy as Tara shook her head while Dawn looked at everyone confused.

"You didn't hack… you did, didn't you?" whispered Tara.

"Xander?" continued Tara as she whispered at the man standing next to Dawn, "Did you know?"

"Ummmmm… you know why we…" said Xander as Tara took a step back before she looked at Major Sheppard.

"Elizabeth" said the Major as he looked at a worried Tara, "just… just have Davis give these guys a warning. Plus I'm sure whoever designed the security system will want to know how it was done."

It was then that Willow and Buffy looked at each other as they received silent confirmation that the Major was actually talking about the hack into his files.

"I'll talk to General Landry and O'Neill" said Dr. Weir as she continued to walk with Daniel, "but we need to check on your sister's DNA with yours. See if there is any similarity on your father's side."

"I suggest that you bring along Carson, and Rodney" said the Major, "ask them to bring everything and set up at the Army base here. And I don't wanna spook these than they already are so I suggest that you, Dr. Jackson and Davis talk to these guys on why its not good to break into classified files at the Department of Defence."

"Willow" said Tara as the redhead looked back at Tara and apologized.

"Why do you need everyone?" asked Dr. Weir as she stopped, "are you injured?"

"Just get them to set up their stuff at the Army base" said Major Sheppard, "I'll explain everything once you get here."

"Right" said Dr. Weir before she disconnected the call and then dialled General Landry's number while she and Daniel walked out towards the man's car. They were going to Petersons before taking a flight to the Sunnydale Army Base.

"Alright" said the Major as he put his phone back into his pocket while looking at the group in front of him, "someone wanna explain why my file was being hacked into?"

TBC.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**The Summers' Residence, 1500 hours.**

Major Sheppard looked at the friends of the sister he just discovered he had and sighed. Standing with his hands in his pocket, he then told them that he was involved in a lot of classified work that involved national security. He then told them that his file was monitored twenty-four hours a day in case of any intrusions and that any hackers who tried to get in could expect serious espionage charges.

The man stole a quick glance at Tara as she looked at the redheaded girl who was looking back at him with terror written on her face.

'Yeah' though the Major to himself, 'should probably calm her down, she looks like she's going to faint… or puke. Oh God, don't puke.'

"Willow, right?" asked the Major as he looked at the redhead who nodded her head with eyes wide open, "just wanted to tell you what could have happened so you don't do it again. Honestly, we'll put you in contact with the people responsible for the… what is it again? You know… supposed to prevent intrusions, and things?"

"Firewall" said Willow, "yeah it was a bit tough but I found a backdoor and….. yeah… I'll shut up."

Willow saw Tara looking back at her and then hung her head in shame.

"They'll want to know what you did" said the Major, "and how you did it. I'll push for the warning, you'll probably have to sign something… but.. yeah."

The Major then told the Scoobies that he needed to make another call outside, and that he'll be right back; that he needed a few questions answered. Once the man had gone out the door, Tara walked over to Willow who was still avoiding looking at her directly. The blonde just looked at the redhead before she gently reached behind Willow, wrapped her hands round her back and pulled her in close for a tight hug.

"Thank you for being concerned about me" said Tara as she whispered into Willow's ear, "but please don't do something like this again. I want to know about John the old fashioned way, asking questions and… I mean, you know. NO magic, no technology."

"Sorry" said Willow whispering into Tara's ear as she returned the blonde witches hug, "I swear I wont do it again."

And that was something that Willow wanted to take into heart. She remembered how angry and disappointed Tara was with her when the redhead made Tara forget the fights they were having with magic, or that she wiped the Scoobies of all their memories – an act that when she was found out by Tara, had ended their relationship. The two of them had just gotten back together after months of being apart, and Willow had no intention of letting Tara go again.

Willow and Tara pulled apart as Buffy approached Tara and told her that it was her idea that Willow check on the Major's file.

"Tara" said Buffy as she scratched her head, "you know what the Initiative did in Sunnydale. They were also trying to find out about magic and.. I was really, really afraid that he was sent here to take you and Willow by force. To be honest with you, I really don't know what to think about him… but… but do you trust him?"

"I know it's strange" said Tara, "but… but I do."

"Is there any way that letter, and that picture could be you know… magically created?"

"It's possible" said Tara nodding her head, "but I would have felt something, and that picture of me was missing for years before I came to Sunnydale."

"I have my suspicions about him" said Buffy as Tara nodded her head and gave a small smile.

"We care about you, Tara" said Xander as the blonde turned around and smiled at Xander who then placed a hand gently on her shoulder, "we really don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know" she replied looking at Xander, and then at the others, "but I trust him. The letter said that I could provide some answers from him, but I don't know the questions. I… I was hoping that you guys would stay with me when… when he asks me.. .you know?"

"You know we will" said Willow nodding her head as Dawn approached Tara.

"So, he's your brother huh?" asked Dawn as she put her hands behind her back and looked at the blonde Witch who was nodding her head, "if.. you know.. if he takes you flying.. you know.. or something…. Could you ask him if.. you know. He could take me up on a ride?"

"Looks like Dawn has a new crush" said Willow as she nudged Buffy who had her hands folded over her chest.

'Hey" said Xander as he looked at Willow and Buffy, and then at Tara nodding her head at Dawn's request, "I'm the one she has a crush on. No one else….. ok, that came out wrong."

"Xand?" asked Buffy just as the door opened and the Major walked back him, keeping his phone back in his pocket.

"So" asked the man as he rubbed his hands together, "let's talk."

**Dr. Carson Beckett's quarters, SGC, 1515 hours.**

Although Dr. Beckett wasn't leaving for the airport to return home to Glasgow for a few more hours, he had already changed into his civilian clothes. He had every intention of getting some souvenirs for his excited family before he left. Sitting down on the cot in his quarters, the doctor put on his socks, and then his shoes before he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in" said the doctor as he stood surprised to find Dr. Weir, along with Daniel standing outside his room, "Dr. Weir, Dr. Jackson.. good to see you both? Are you heading out?"

"Ummm Carson" said Dr. Weir as she looked at Daniel who shrugged before looking back at Dr. Beckett, "how would you like to go for a trip?"

"I'd love to, but my flight…"

"Major Sheppard needs us in Sunnydale" said Dr. Weir as she and Daniel looked at the doctor who had his mouth hanging open, looking confused at the both of them.

"California" said Daniel as Dr. Beckett nodded his head, "Sunnydale, California."

"My flight…." Said the doctor as he picked up his tickets from a table next his cot and showed it to the two of them, "I don't think I can make it back here, and my family's waiting for me and…."

Dr. Weir and Daniel looked at each other before looking back at the doctor and telling him that he's needed to verify Major Sheppard's story.

"Hold on there" said the Doctor in shock, "the Major has a sister?"

"Apparently it's a surprise for him too" said Daniel as he leaned on the doorframe.

"And he asked for you, and Rodney specifically" said Dr. Weir as Dr. Beckett sighed while the leader of the Atlantis expedition told the man that the Major asked for everything they had to be brought for Sunnydale.

"Everything as in?" asked the Doctor looking at both Dr. Weir and Dr. Sheppard.

"Scanners, medical equipment…. The whole shebang" said Daniel, "I'm guessing that he's talking about things related the Ancients."

"The Ancients? What would the Ancients have to do with a city in California?"

"It's just a guess, Carson" said Dr. Weir with a small smile on her face, "but it's probably to do with him having abilities that he never exhibited on Atlantis."

"Wait, what" said Dr. Beckett in surprise as Daniel and Dr. Weir looked at each other and smile, "what abilities? Don't leave me in suspense here."

"He just called me again" said Dr. Weir, "said he displayed telekinetic abilities; he pulled out a bullet from a young woman's abdomen."

"Oh my" said the doctor, "is she alright?"

"Yeah" said Daniel, "he healed her."

'Excuse me?" asked the doctor, "oh wait, I remember the file on that Ancient lass,.. umm…."

"Ayiana" said Daniel as Dr. Beckett nodded his head, "yeah, she was able to heal SG-1 from a plague we believe wiped out most of the Ancients, at least the ones that didn't ascend or move to Pegasus. Even Jack had healing powers the second time he downloaded the Ancient repository into his head."

"He told us that he's felt something ever since he arrived in Sunnydale" said Dr. Weir, "so while you check him medically, I'll ask Rodney to grab his equipment and check out the environment… maybe there's a reason why Major Sheppard's been able to display these abilities there, but not here… or in Atlantis."

"We've already talked to General Landry and he'd like for you to bring a DNA kit, as well as any medical supplies that may be needed in case Major Sheppard's been injured."

"Very well" said Dr. Beckett as he sighed, "I guess I could call my mom and tell her that I've been delayed to help a friend."

"Thank you, Carson" said Dr. Weir as Dr. Beckett gave a nod before he walked out of his quarters. He closed the door behind him while telling the two of them that he needs to gather supplies from the infirmary, as well as any equipment that he may need. Dr. Weir nodded at him and told him to get whatever he thinks may be needed to give the Major a full physical as well, "just to be on the safe side. Have one of the security personnel help you bring your equipment to the surface."

Dr. Beckett nodded his head before heading down the hallway before she looked at Daniel and sighed.

"Rodney?" asked Daniel as Dr. Weir looked at him and smiled.

"Yes" she replied nodding her head, "you get to tell him, Dr. Jackson."

"Should've said heads before flipping the coin" said Daniel as he and the diplomat walked down the hallway to Mackay's quarters.

**The Summers' Residence, 1525 hours.**

The Major was seated on the couch as he saw that a still nervous Tara was sitting on an armchair, while Willow sat on its armrest. The redhead was looking at the Major while Tara took nervous glances at him periodically. Giving Tara a small smile, which she returned before looking at the floor again, the Major turned to look at Xander who was leaning on a wall and Buffy who was looking at him suspiciously while seated on an armchair across from him.

"So" said the major, "about why you guys tried to look into my file?"

"John" said Tara as everyone looked at her.

Major Sheppard looked on as Willow leaned in and then whispered something into Tara's ear. The redhead then looked into Tara's eyes, before the blonde told Willow to trust her. Willow nodded her head before turning to face Buffy who frowned before nodding her head. The Major had observed this interaction between the people in front of him and took a wild guess that it was Buffy who he assumed to be the leader of this little group. Shaking his head as Tara called for him again, the man looked at his sister and leaned forward.

"I.. I know this will.. will be hard to understand" said Tara as she glanced at Buffy and then at her brother, "but…. but there are things in the world that go far beyond anything you've ever seen."

"Ok" said the Major nodding her head.

"Be… before you ask questions, let… let me just finish… and.. and then you'll know why my friends wanted to look into your file" said Tara. She then told the man about the existence of magic in the world, the mystical convergence known as the Hellmouth which lay under the city while releasing energy that attracted vampires, and various other demons, witches and warlocks to the city.

"Oh" was the only thing that the Major could say as he looked at Tara, and then at Buffy, Willow and the others, "Ok…."

"Hold on" said Dawn as she narrowed her eyebrows at the man, "why aren't you, you know… jumping up and down saying that's impossible or, 'you're nuts'… does this mean that you're a part of the Initiative?"

"Dawn!" said Buffy as she looked up at her sister who took a seat on Buffy's armrest before looking down at Buffy and shrugging her shoulders, "what? What?"

'The Initiative?" asked the Major as he looked at the others, 'what's the Initiative?"

It was then that Buffy's living room phone started to ring. Getting up, she glared at Dawn before picking up the receiver while Xander explained that the Initiative was a group of soldiers that nearly destroyed Sunnydale. While he, and Willow, was telling the Major what happened; Buffy walked back to the kitchen when she heard Riley's voice on the phone.

"Hi, Riley" said the blonde Slayer as she entered the kitchen and leaned her back onto one of the counters so that she could look at what was going on.

"Buffy" said Riley over the phone as the Slayer's heart broke again. She recalled the pain in her chest when Riley returned to Sunnydale almost a year ago needing her help in capturing someone called 'the Doctor'. Although she did eventually agree, she was more shocked by the fast that he had gotten married to someone else. Shaking her head as she heard Riley call her name over the receiver a third time, she asked him how he was.. and how Samantha was doing.

"She's fine, Buffy" said Riley, "she says hi,"

"I… I… I'm sorry about calling and…. are you busy? I mean.. where are you and…"

"Classified, sorry" said Riley as he looked at a helicopter that was parked at an Air Base while talking on a satellite phone, "listen I checked up on that name. Major John Sheppard."

"And?" asked Buffy expectedly.

"I don't know what you're dealing with, Buffy.. or how you know that name" said Riley, "but the moment I asked some of my contacts, walls just got up. My superiors just told me to stop looking into him."

"Riley?" asked Buffy confused.

"Look" said Riley, "all I know is that he's involved in some top-secret stuff, stuff that's above my level of clearance and need-to-know classification. Don't look into him and…"

"I already did" said Buffy as Riley sighed on the other line, "Riley, look…. All I need to know is if he's part of some Initiative group, or something?"

"No" said Riley, "all I know is that this guy is involved in something that's really Top-Secret. If he was in the monster hunters club, then I'd have known about it. Whatever it is, just don't do anything else to bring attention to yourselves. I don't know if he can be trusted, or… I just don't know. Just… just use your best judgement, and be careful for God's sake."

"I will" said Buffy as she sighed, "you guys be careful too."

"We will" said Riley before he told Buffy that he'll call her again soon, that he needed to go off for a mission.

Once Buffy walked back into the living room, she heard Willow and Xander talking to Major Sheppard about Adam. She looked at the Major who was listening intently to what they were saying, always they never made any mention of Tara and Willow being Witches or that she was the Slayer.

'But it will come up' thought Buffy to herself as she put the phone back down on its cradle. Upon hearing the click, Xander and Willow stopped talking and looked at Buffy who was looking at the phones, and then back at the others.

"Buff?" asked Willow, "everything alright?"

"That was Riley" said Buffy as she looked at Willow and then at Xander, before finally settling her eyes on the Major, "I asked him to ask around you."

"Oh boy" said the Major as he leaned back, "and?"

"He was told to stop looking" said Buffy as she sat down while the others all looked back at Major Sheppard, "something about this being way above his clearance."

"If he was told to stop looking, and asking" said the Major as he leaned forward, "then he probably doesn't have clearance."

"John" said Tara as she leaned forward as the Major looked at her, "why… why aren't you… you know… shocked, or surprised, or…."

"Going nuts?" asked Xander as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh I am" said the Major, "on the inside. I've got remain a bit cool… don't you think?"

"Right" said Willow nodding her head.

"What was that thing you did?" asked Buffy, "you know, after I was shot and…"

"Wait" said a surprised Dawn as she looked at Buffy, before walking towards her and slapping the blonde Slayer's arm real hard, "you were shot?!"

"Ow" said Buffy looking up at Dawn while she rubbed her arm, "and yeah, sorry…. I think I forgot to mention it."

"Well, don't" said Dawn as she gave Buffy a hug, "the next time it happens, don't forget."

"I'm sure she's not looking to get shot, again" said the Major before he looked at Tara once again, "I don't really know what I did; all I can say is that I have a few members of my team setting up base at the Army Base so that they could go over me."

Tara looked at the Major's aura and knew that he was hiding something from all of them. She wanted to say something but decided against it, thinking that it would most likely be related to some classified project.

"If the military's conducting experiment on soldiers again" said Willow as she looked at Buffy, and then at a confused Major. The redhead told him that the Initiative were also dosing their military personnel with specials drugs without their knowledge.

"Are you sure?" asked the Major suspiciously.

"I used to be part of the Initiative" said Buffy as she sighed and leaned back on the armchair, "even had to get clearance, and everything."

"Signed that handy Non-Disclosure too" said Xander as Willow looked at him and opened her eyes wide, silently asking the man to shut up.

"Yeah, shouldn't have told me. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you did, but what I just did wasn't like what you say happened in the Initiative" said the Major, "that's all I can tell you."

The Major looked at Buffy and wondered what role she played in the Initiative, 'were you a civilian specialist, or part of the military?'

However, the man thought it best to ask those questions later, right now he was more concerned with talking to Tara.

The Major then looked at a still slightly nervous Tara and asked her if they could talk. However, Tara told him that she'd be more comfortable if her friends could stay with her, that whatever he had to tell her; it was safe to tell in front of the others.

"It's… um…. Personal" said the Major.

"It.. it's alright" said Tara as she nodded her head.

"Alright" said Major Sheppard as he told the stunned Tara about the dream he had where he saw what had happened to her back in the Maclay house, and back at the hospital when her mother died. Tara looked on in shock as tears welled in her eyes when the Major mentioned what Laura had told her about shining as bright as the sun.

"I.. I remember" said Tara as her voice broke while Willow put her hand on the blonde witch's back.

"She told you about some music box?" said the Major as Tara looked on in complete shock, "I saw what they did after she was gone, Tara. I wish she told my dad. Did… did they come after you after you left?"

"Yes" said Dawn as she looked at the Major, and then at Tara who was looking at the floor with her hand covering her eyes while Willow rubbed her back, "they wanted to forcefully take her away."

"The.. The female side of my family have always… always had.. po… power" said Tara as she looked back up at Major Sheppard, "we.. we.. can…. I mean…"

"Magic?" asked the man as he got up and walked towards Tara before crouching in front of her. Tara then nodded her head and looked down at the floor, "Tara, I'm not here to hurt you. My team aren't coming here to hurt you, either. They just know that something's going on with me, and they'll be examining me to see what's going on. I know a few of them would be excited, and a few of them would be sceptical about magic and would like to see how it works.. I guess. I leave it up to you if you want to show them, but no one is going to harm you."

"Yeah" said Buffy as Major Sheppard stood up and turned to face the Slayer, "that's what you say."

"If the wrong people find out about her" said Xander, "then they'll use her for…"

"Xander!" said Willow before she looked down at Tara while the dark haired man apologized.

"Like I said, if she doesn't want to tell people.. then I won't."

Buffy saw the look on Tara's face and her heart fell when she came to the realization that the blonde witch was taking the responsibility of being the 'unique' one for all of them. She had already told the Major that she was the one who helped beat Adam, with the help of the surviving members of the Initiative, using some very powerful magic so that Buffy and the others could be protected.

'And now' said Buffy as she looked at Willow, and then back down onto the floor, 'if anything happens, she'll be the one taken away. Tara says that we can trust this guy, but… but if we're wrong, then we're all screwed.'

"The reason" said Buffy as the Major turned away from Xander and looked at Buffy, "the reason that I got clearance to be a part of the Initiative, although it was for only a few days, was because I'm the Slayer."

"The what now?" asked a confused Major Sheppard.

"She hunts and kills vampires, monsters, demons… you know… stuff" said Dawn before she looked at the Major, "like I'm sure you.."

"Dawn" said Xander, Buffy, and Willow while Tara just looked up at Major Sheppard.

"Tara wasn't the one who beat Adam" said Buffy as she walked past the Major and stood next to the blonde protectively, "it was me. It was all of us, actually…. And my high school librarian."

"Librarian?" asked the Major.

"Yea"

"Oh."

"Long story" said Tara with a small smile.

"I bet" replied the Major as he gave a small smile at the blonde witch.

"I.. I'm a witch too" said Willow as she looked at the Major, "I mean I'm trying to cut down on magic and… yeah."

"So" said the Major as he looked at everyone, "two witches, and.. a Slayer?"

"Yep" said Xander as he put his hand up, "I'm the fixer… you know. I fix the stuff that gets broken."

"Right" said Major Sheppard as he looked at everyone, before looking at Tara, "I won't tell my friends about you guys, not unless you want me to tell them. But I'm sure that Dr. Beckett will want to take a look at Miss Summers when he gets here. Kinda told him she got shot and I healed her."

"Fine" said Buffy before Tara asked everyone if she could talk to the Major alone.

"You sure?" asked Buffy.

Tara nodded her head before Willow, Buffy, Dawn and Xander headed out the door and began walking towards the Magic Box. Meanwhile, back at the house, Tara stood up and approached Major Sheppard before taking a seat next to him on the couch.

"Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"When.. when did you get.. get this letter?" asked Tara as she looked at the Major, glad that most of the nervousness she felt earlier had slowly melted away enough for her to be alone with him.

"I just got back from…. Let's just say a place very far away" said the Major, "I was part of an expedition that got lost, and we were just rescued a few days ago. I was gone for almost a year before I checked my mail in Colorado Springs. I had directed all mail to my P.O. Box right before I left for the expedition and.. and well, I found that when I got back."

"Oh" said Tara as she looked at herself playing with her thumbs.

"Are.. are you going back?" asked Tara softly, "I mean… you know, back to Colorado Springs? I mean.. when are you heading back to Colorado Springs?"

"Well" said Major Sheppard, "I came here immediately after I read the letter, so…. I mean… if you want me to stay for a little while? I could. Do you want me to leave?"

"No" said Tara as she turned and looked at the Major, "no, I.. I'd like for you to stay. Can.. can you tell me about your… I mean my, Father.. I mean."

"To be honest with you" said the Major as he combed his hand through his hair, "me and the old man haven't talked in a long time. It's like a Cold War between us."

"Why?" asked Tara, "I mean.. if you don't mind me asking?"

"We wanted different things" said the Major, "I wanted to go to Stanford, he wanted me to go to Harvard; he had my whole life planned out for since I was fourteen, and I didn't want any part of that; he wanted me to take over the business, I wanted to join the Air Force."

"Oh" said Tara, "so you joined the Air Force?"

"Right after Stanford" said the Major as Tara gave a small smile as she looked down on the floor, "then we had a big fight when I chose the Academy over his dreams for me… and yeah. Dave's helping the old man run the place."

"Dave?"

"Oh, right" said the Major, "my… well, now yours too I guess… brother."

"Oh."

"If you want to meet them, I guess I could handle seeing the old man again… or I could just leave you there and…."

"Don't you dare" said Tara.

"Kidding" said the Major, "I'd probably get drunk so that I…"

"No" said Tara.

"I guess we need to bring that letter?"

"Yeah."

"How about we go in a couple of days?" asked the Major as Tara nodded her head, "in the meantime, we get to know more about each other?"

"Agreed" said Tara.

"How about I go check into a hotel, and then we grab a bite to eat?"

Tara smiled, and nodded her head, before the both of them left the house. Locking the door behind them.

TBC.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**The Esspresso Pump, 1615 hours.**

The first thing that Major Sheppard did was drive to one of the hotels n Sunnydale and book a room for two nights. Once he had gotten a room, he rushed back to the car he rented that day from the airport and got into the drivers seat while Tara was listening to the radio. After asking the blonde if she a place where they could get a bite to eat, as well as some decent coffee, she recommended the Espresso Pump. Nodding his head, the Major started the car and drove while following Tara's directions.

Once they reached the coffee shop, the Major parked the car and then the both of them walked into the Espresso Pump. Taking a seat at a table near the pavement, the Major asked the blonde if she knew what items on the menu was good.

"The chocolate shake" said Tara with a small smile, "I like chocolate."

"OK then" said the Major as he got up and made the order at the counter. He then came back with two large glasses of chocolate shakes, and two sliced of cake for the both of them before sitting back down.

"I.. I never knew" said Tara after she took a sip of the shake through her straw, "never even suspected and…"

"Neither did I" said the Major as he leaned back and looked at Tara, "did they ever find you again? I mean your dad, your brother and your cousin?"

"You really did see" said Tara quietly while she looked down at the table.

"I did" replied the Major, "it was like flashes of memories. It was strange, actually… I saw your mother talking to you… and then she looked at me. I mean, it was like she was looking right at me."

Tara just looked at her brother surprised.

'Can't be' thought the blonde to herself before she opened her mouth and asked the Major if she said anything to him.

"She was just looking up at the ceiling saying something" said the Major, "and then she looked at me. It was a bit weird, does this have anything to do with.. you know… magic?"

"I… know it sounds strange…"

"Tara" said the Major as he leaned forward, "I've served everywhere you can think of; most of it is classified but I can tell you I've seen weird things so.. yeah… I think I can take it."

Tara nodded her head and took in a deep breath that since her mother was a very powerful witch, it could be her way of communicating from beyond the grave. That maybe she knew that something would happen to Tara, and she left a message for the Major that activated when the time was right.

'Or maybe she ascended and placed that letter in my P.O. Box' though the Major to himself as he nodded his head while listening to Tara.

"At least that's what I think" said Tara as she took another sip and looked at the Major's aura, and noticed that he was more calm than she was expected him to be, "I… I should tell you that.. I mean… I don't like to use magic if possible."

"Why?" asked the Major, "I mean, I'm just curious."

"There are some things that can be without magic" said Tara as she looked at the table, and thought about Willow, "some get so used to using it that… I mean… that it's their go to thing to fix everything that's wrong. Sometimes it's best to work at things the old fashioned way… I guess that's what I'm trying to say."

"I see" replied the Major, "you never answered, Tara; did they come after you again?"

"They kept on saying that I was a demon" said Tara as she looked down at the table, "and I believed them. I mean… yes, they came after me again. I don't know how but they knew where I was…. And, they came here. They wanted to take me away, but Buffy and the others protected me."

"That's good" said the Major as he sighed before drinking the shake in front of him.

"Mom's letter said that you came back from somewhere far away?" asked Tara as the Major nodded his head.

"Yea" said Major Sheppard nodding his head, "but I can't tell you where though. It's classified, and…. and I'll be going back with another expedition team in about three weeks so…"

"Oh" said Tara as she leaned back on her seat, disappointment etched on her face.

"When we were first lost" said the Major as he recalled the first year they expedition spent on Atlantis, "we had no way to contact the people who eventually rescued us, but now… they can contact us easily, or we can contact them and.. I mean… I can email you.. I mean, if you'd want me to."

"Yes" said Tara as she looked up at the man excitedly, "yes, I… I would."

The two of them spent a few more moments in silence before Tara took another sip of her shake and then looked up at the Major.

"You.. you saved my life" said Tara as Major Sheppard looked on confused, "the.. the shots?"

"Uh huh" said the Major nodded his head.

"Two.. two bullets went through the window in my room" said Tara as Major Sheppard's eyes went wide open, "Xander saw one hit the ceiling, and Buffy saw the other on hit the wall across from the window.. and.. I… I was talking to Willow with my back to that window."

"It could have injured…"

"Or killed"

"The both of you" said the Major as he reached for Tara's hand that was laying on the table and gently squeezed, "or you. Your mother's letter said that you were in danger… maybe.. I mean.. if she had powerful magic then maybe it was possible for her to see what would have happened to you?"

"Maybe" said Tara as she wiped her yes with the other hand, "but.. all I know is that both me and Willow are alive. If you didn't come when you did, maybe… maybe things would be different."

"Who was this Warren guy that Buffy talked about?" asked the Major, "and.. there was something I noticed when Willow was next to me… I thought I was seeing things but now that you told me about magic and… I mean… look, I saw her hair turning black in certain areas… I mean…"

Tara closed her eyes when she remembered seeing the same thing. She knew that her girlfriend was able to channel much more magic that she ever could, and Tara was worried about what access to that amount of magic was doing to Willow. Tara had seen the black hair and hoped that it was just her imagination, but now that her own brother had confirmed what she saw… she knew she had to talk to Willow sooner, rather than later.

"It… it's not my place to say, John" said Tara as she looked at the man, "I.. I think it would be best if Buffy talks to you about him. And about Willow? I…. I need to talk to her and…. I saw it too and I was hoping that it was just my imagination but… I need to talk to her first before I can say anything. Please?"

"Will she be alright?" asked Major Sheppard.

"I.. I.. think so" said Tara nodding her head, although inside she was worried about the redhead.

"Has she made a police report about this Warren guy?" asked the Major as Tara shook her head.

"The police here aren't the best" said Tara, "this… I.. I don't know what you've heard….

"Nothing actually" said Major Sheppard with a smile, "came here right after reading that letter."

"The police here know about the vampires, and everything" said Tara as the Major nodded his head, "but they can't do anything, or won't.. or some just deny that there's something wrong with the city. The go to excuse is gangs on PCP, or barbeque fork killers."

"And people believe that?" asked the Major with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah" she replied.

"So" said the Major as he leaned forward, "are you going to school here, or…"

"U.C. Sunnydale" said Tara, "I… I'm studying anthropology. I've been staying with Willow and Buffy to look after Dawn after their mom died so…. Sorry, I don't think I was supposed to say that.. I mean.."

"It's alright" smiled the Major, "I won't rat you out."

Tara just smiled at the man before she leaned forward and asked him questions about his life, at least the parts that he was able to tell her. She listened to him speak while she smiled, and at the same time feeling comfortable being alone with him. She knew that the Magic Box was only a few doors away, and that if anything happened.. she could run as fast as possible to the place where she was sure Buffy and the others were holed up in. However, all her instincts were telling her to stay… that the man in front of her, unlike the other men in her family, won't hurt her ever.

**Magic Box, at the same time.**

Willow was seated alone at the table near the book stacks while Xander was talking to Dawn; telling her that he and Anya really were done for after what she did the previous night with Spike. In the meantime, she knew that Buffy was in the training room in the back so that she could make an overseas call to Giles who was in London.

'And my girlfriend is with her brother… half brother' thought Willow to herself as she focused on the table, 'after what her last brother tried to do…. Umm… protection spell.. just in case? Yeah.. that's…"

"Hey Will" said Xander as he at next to Willow, while Dawn sat across from her, "what'cha thinking about?"

"Nothing" said Willow as she prepared to get up but was stopped by Xander, who gently pushed her back down on her seat.

"Will" he said as a few customers walked in, followed by Anya who just simply walked past the customers who had started looking at the items on the shelves, and passed by Xander and the others without saying hello and stepped behind the counter. Xander shook his head before looking at Willow again, "I that face, Will."

"What face?" asked Willow as she looked at the table.

"The face that says I'm planning to do something that I'm not supposed to do face" replied Xander, "I've known you for a long time, Will. Whatever you're thinking.."

"And I'm sure it's about John" said Dawn as she raised an eyebrow while Willow looked at her, sighed and then nodded her head.

"I just wanted to do a simple protection spell, you know" said Willow, "I mean, remember the last time what happened… or almost happened? And then just now, with Warren… can you imagine what would have happened if she died and I could haven't it with a protection spell? What if…"

"Will" said Xander as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder as Anya walked to the back of the shop, "you know this is Sunnydale, you know things happen. We can't.. I mean.."

"What?" asked Willow as she looked at Xander.

"We can't always protect Tara from the dangers that are out there… you know, vampires, monsters and…" said Anya as she walked back into the shop and walked over to the counter after placing a box on the glass cover next to the cash register.

"Anya" said Dawn as she looked at the young woman, "how do you…"

"Overheard Willow talking about a protection spell" said Anya as she looked at the redhead, and then back at the cash register, "and the only one she'll protect are you guys… so there… but what's the point when anyone of us can die at any moment?"

"Anya" said Xander as he looked at his ex-fiancée.

"What?" asked Anya as she looked at Xander, and then at Willow, "and magic again? Really? Remember the memory loss all of us had from the last whammy you pulled?"

"Ahn" said Xander as he glared at the ex-vengeance demon.

"But what do I know?" said Anya as she raised her hands in the air before turning and fixing some items on the shelf behind her.

"Tara has a half-brother" said Willow softly as Anya stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at the redhead, "and I just want to protect her. You were here when…"

"Hey" said Dawn as she pointed at Anya, "hold on a second why are we talking about this with her?"

"Dawn" said Xander as he rubbed his forehead.

"Excuse me?" asked Anya as she looked at Dawn.

"Ahn" said Xander again.

"You betrayed Xander you know? By…." Said Dawn as Xander tried to interrupt her, instead he was beaten to the punch by Anya.

"Xander left me at the alter" said Anya as Dawn kept quiet and looked down, while Xander frowned, "and yes, Spike was here yesterday.. here when I felt lost… so you know what.. yeah.. we had a thing and we just did something that meant nothing. You know what… you want to know how it feels like, Dawn? You wanna how what it's like for someone to rip your heart away? Well… I really hope…"

"Hey!" shouted Buffy as she stood at the door to the rear training room with a phone in her hands, "Anya, we've got customers in the shop. Just… just do your thing…"

"Considering that Giles left the shop to me" mumbled Anya as she headed out to the back of the store, "I don't know why you people are still here."

"Dawn" said Buffy as she rubbed her forehead, "help Anya. Please."

"Fine" said Dawn as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't have to like it, though."

Buffy watched Dawn follow Anya through to the back office before she sat down across from Willow and asked her what was going on. It was then that Willow, described what she wanted to do.. and that Xander, as well as Anya in her own way, didn't want Willow to magically interfere.

"Will" said Buffy as she put the phone on the table and reached for the redhead's hands, "you know I'll be the first person to ask you to check up on him, or run some super advanced search and… I mean, you know. But Tara asked us not to do anything, Will… she know what she's doing."

"But remember the last time?" asked Willow, "I mean, she didn't tell us the type of people they were and…"

"She thought that they'd out her as a demon, Will" said Xander, "she couldn't tell us what was going on in case they told us about who she really was, or was not."

"But this time, she's got nothing to hide, Will" said Buffy as she squeezed her best friend's hand gently, "plus you promised her no magic, remember? I'm placing my trust in her that her brother's not going to harm you, or her. But if they do? No one will stop me from coming after them if they hurt the both of you."

"Trust Tara, Will" said Xander as Willow nodded her head.

"Did you talk to Giles?" asked Willow as she looked at the phone.

"Yea" replied Buffy as Willow and Xander looked on, "told him about what happened. Asked me to use my best judgement, but at the same time to be careful. He still remembers the mess with the Initiative. Already told him about everything the Tara told us, so… so he asked us to trust her. That she's probably telling us the truth."

"She could read aura's" said Willow as she lay her head on the table while Xander lay his chin next to hers, and the both of them looked at Buffy, "that's how she knew that 'Miss Five by Five' was in your body."

"Don't remind me about the Faith body swap" said Buffy as her body shuddered.

"Now that we know John's a kinda, sorta, good military guy" said Xander, "what are you going to do about Warren?"

"I'll go to Willie's" said Buffy, "someone like him would want to brag about offing the Slayer. So… yeah. Willy would be the best place to find out where he is… and then I'll beat him before leaving him for the Sunnydale P.D to find."

"I can get a protection spell for you" said Willow as Buffy smiled, "I mean.. he has a gun and… you know."

"Will" said Xander as he nudged the redhead with his shoulder before remind her about the promise she made to Tara.

"I know" said Willow as she pouted at Xander.

"I'll be alright, Will" said Buffy as she got up from the table, "I'll get going to Willie's Place, get some information from him."

"Call us?" asked Willow as Buffy nodded her head, "oh, call Tara's brother. Maybe he can help you… I mean he's got all of that healing stuff going on."

"I'll be alright, Will" said Buffy as the redhead looked at her with puppy-dog eyes, "how about this? You wanna come with me? No magic unless absolutely necessary?"

"OK" said Willow excitedly as she stood up before looking down at Xander. However, Xander was looking at an angry Anya who walked up to the counter followed by an angry Dawn, who walked over to the stacks and started to arrange them while mumbling some things under her breath, "Xander, you coming?"

"Yeah" said Xander as he got up and walked past Anya who was helping a customer check out. He then stopped as Buffy turned around and ran to Dawn before telling her to stay in the shop… that she'll be back before closing time and that they'll head back together. Xander, on the other hand, walked behind the counter and stood next to Anya nervously as she was collecting money from the customers, "Ahn."

"What?" whispered Anya as she smiled at the customer before handing her the change.

"I'm.. ah,.. look Willow, Buffy and Tara were shot at today"

"What?" asked Anya surprised as she looked at Xander, "when? Who?"

"One of the nerds" said Xander as Buffy headed out the store with Willow, "just be careful, and keep an eye on Dawn? Please?"

"Fine" said the ex-vengeance demon as Xander nodded his head before turning around and walking away. Unknown to him, or Buffy and Willow… there was a figure in one of the stores outside spying on them.

Warren had hung around after shooting at Buffy in her backyard. He was hiding at a neighbour's house waiting for the ambulance to come.. he wanted to see his handiwork before making his presence known as the man who killed the Slayer. He wanted to show that he was the one who was truly fit to rule Sunnydale, and that he could do it without his partners Jonathan, and Andrew. However, when the ambulances never came… he got into the car of his ex-girlfriend, the same ex-girlfriend that he murdered and tried to magically convince Buffy that she was the one responsible for murdering her.

He then followed the Scoobies after they got into Joyce's jeep and drove to the Magic Box where he had been spying on then from another store on the other side of the street. He had already scouted the Espresso Pump where he saw Tara and the Major talking, but he knew that Buffy and Tara weren't that close. That according to Jonathan, her best friends were Willow and Xander.. and that if he couldn't kill Buffy, then the next best thing to break her would be killing Willow or Xander.

'Or the sister' thought Warren to himself as he felt the butt of the handgun he kept behind his back, between his jeans, 'kill the sister, and Buffy will fall. She'll get angry, and make a mistake. This is the perfect time to do it, the oh-so-powerful Slayer is leaving her sister behind. What an idiot.'

He knew that killing one of the three would make Buffy despondent, or make her extremely angry leading her to making mistakes. Warren already had a plan if things went wrong, he could go to Rack and get some supplies from him after he killed Willow, Xander, or Dawn.

'All for you, Buffy' thought Warren as he saw the Slayer, Willow and Xander congregate outside the Magic Box before getting into the jeep, "and then, then I kill you. I don't know how you survived but, enjoy your life while it lasts.'

TBC.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**The Magic Box, 1635 hours.**

Warren hid out in the other store for a few more minutes after Buffy, Willow and Xander left the Magic Box. He wanted to be doubly sure that they wouldn't return and spoil his revenge on Buffy for ruining his plans, and humiliating him the previous night. He remembered having the Slayer on the robes thanks to some magical orbs that enhanced his strength to levels that were equal to a Slayer. However, Buffy managed to destroy those orbs in what he knew to be a lucky shot, and then she beat him publically in front of Jonathan and Andrew.

'I'm not going to take that lying down, bitch' thought Warren to himself as he looked around at the empty store, and at the store owner who had his back to Warren. Smiling, he took out the gun and put it into the pocket of his black jacket, and then narrowed his eyes at the Magic Box, 'you humiliated me, and now… now you'll pay. I'll get your family and friends.. hell, even that blonde, but I'll save her for last. Something about that figure… ummm… maybe I'll use that spell to make her my slave before I get bored and get rid of her. But first, bye-bye little sister.'

Heading to the door, he opened in at the chime rang and the owner turned around and thanked Warren for coming. Waving with his other hand as he walked out, Warren focused his view on the Magic box as he stepped onto the pavement outside the shop and took a deep breath. The young man could feel the warmth in the air as he thought about pulling the trigger, he imagines Dawn lying on the floor of the Magic Box as a pool of blood flowed down from the wound in her chest. Trembling with excitement, Warren slowly began his walk while keeping his back towards the Espresso Pump.

Meanwhile, in the Magic box, both Anya and Dawn were working in an uncomfortable silence. Dawn was angry at Anya for cheating on Xander with Spike, and Anya was angry with everyone since she was the one who was publically humiliated and left at the altar by the man she was supposed to marry; and that everyone was still taking Xander's side. She was cashing out the customer who had bought a laughing Buddha statue before she looked at Dawn who glaring back at her while she was fixing up some spell books at the shelves near the round table where Willow was sitting earlier.

"You know" said Dawn looking over her shoulder after the customer left, "Xander felt bad about what he did, and…"

"He did it anyway, Dawn" said Anya as she walked around the counter and went to the back shelves to fix the statues and the crystal balls that the previous customer was looking at earlier, "he did it anyway and then when I left lonely, and alone, after you people….. you took his side. All of you took his side and… and Spike was there. It was something that happened and.. and you know what? None of you have any right say what I did, or did not do was wrong…. Xander didn't want to marry me.. he threw away everything we had for what? Nothing…. Absolutely nothing."

"You can be a bitch sometimes, Anya" said Dawn as she turned around and looked at the former vengeance demon who still had her back to the brunette, "you know what? I don't think you ever loved him, all you'd talk about is sex this… or sex that…. That's it. You're nuts, shallow, say the dumbest things at the most inappropriate times and…."

"Get out!" shouted Anya as she turned around and pointed at the closed door, "get out and stay out. Same goes for Buffy, Willow, and Xander. Out of all you people, the only one who hasn't judged me is Tara, that's it. Only one of you has never judged me! Giles left me this place, to me.. that means he has some trust that I won't…"

"He left it to you?" laughed Dawn as she walked towards Anya, "he left it to you because he knew that we that we'd be here looking after the place. If we weren't here, do you really think he'll be insane enough to leave everything to you!"

"I had a chance to get my powers back" said Anya, "but you know what? I refused. I thought that maybe, just maybe Xander would come to his senses and we could have the life I wanted and… I love him and…"

"The life you wanted!" shouted Dawn as she pointed at Anya, "you.. it's always about you… oh, oh, I forgot.. you're also selfish!"

"I told you to get out, Dawn"

"Xander told you to look after me and…"

"I'm tired, Dawn" said Anya as she turned and went back to redoing the shelves, "please, just leave. Go home, stay away from the windows. Call a cab if you want, but I don't want to look after you, I don't answer to Buffy, Willow, or even Xander… I.. I'm just tired."

"Anya" said Dawn as she walked towards Anya in anger just as the door chime rang out. The sound of the chime made Dawn stop what she wanted to say as she and Anya both turned around, before they looked on at the newcomer in shock.

Anya saw Warren, or at least the one she thought was Warren from the picture that Willow showed them on her computer, as he walked into the Magic Box. Everything had gone into slow motion for the ex-vengeance demon. She saw him take a handgun out of his pocket and then point it at her, and then at Dawn. Anya looked at the young brunette who was just a few steps away, and then looked at Warren again as his mouth moved, but she couldn't hear anything because of the sound of blood rushing though her head, caused by the pounding of her heart. She then saw the young man's finger tightening on the trigger, before she ran and pulled Dawn back while putting herself between Warren and the young brunette just as two shots rang out.

"Close your…." Was the only things that Anya could say before she felt a sharp sting that went through her back, followed by another sting that turned everything dark.

"Anya?" said Dawn as she looked up and saw a hole in Anya's forehead that had blood pouring out of it, she even felt some of the red liquid hit her cheeks after the bullet went through the young woman's head, "Anya?"

Dawn saw Anya looking at her as she slumped lifeless into Dawn's arms, the blood pouring from the hole in her head smearing on the brunette's shirt.

"Anya! I'm sorry… wake up! Wake up!" shouted Dawn as Warren rushed forward angrily and grabbed Anya's lifeless body by the neck and roughly pulled her off Dawn and threw her behind him. Dawn looked up at the crazed young man with tears in her eye and face full of murderous rage.

"You should blame yourself" said Warren as he aimed the weapon at Dawn's head, "now you…. and then the Slayer."

**Espresso Pump, a few minutes earlier.**

Major Sheppard and Tara continued to talk about each other's life stories, with the Major leaving everything that happened to him on Atlantis out of the way. Instead he talked about how one of his men had gotten hooked onto a drug they found while they were lost, and that instead of coming back with them, he ran away.

"We searched for him everywhere" said the Major as he recalled Lt. Ford leaving through the Stargate on Atlantis after he found that he needed Wraith enzymes to remain on a high, and that Atlantis had run out of it all. So he took whatever they had, and then stole a Puddle Jumper and left the city, "but we're planning to return to look for him so that we can find a way to get him off the drug, and bring him home."

"I see" said Tara who was still sure that the Major was hiding something from her, but she could tell that he really had genuine concern for the man who was hooked onto that drug, "so your team found a place with a lot of medicinal plants?"

"You could say that" said the Major, "I mean, we're bringing more scientists this time so that they could run their tests and…."

The Major then suddenly stopped and looked to his right side. He started to get a feeling that something bad was about to happen, the same feeling he got when he was talking to Tara the first time a few hours ago. This time it was different, he also noticed Tara looking at the same direction as him.

"Tara" said John as he got up from his seat, "stay here."

"The Magic Box" said Tara as she looked at the door to the shop close, but she couldn't tell who it was that went in.. just that someone did.

"Stay here" said the Major as he took off running. Tara watched the man run down to the pavement and take off. Shaking her head, Tara then got off her seat and ran after the Major.

Major Sheppard didn't know it Tara was still behind him or not, all he knew what that something was happening… something that he couldn't explain. Something that's been going on since he arrived in this city. Running towards the Magic Box, the Major thought about the briefings about the Ancients from Daniel; before he left for Atlantis. He told the group that the Major was a part of that the Ancients were more evolved than ordinary humans, that some had developed special abilities because of that advanced evolution. He gave the example of General O'Neill who had the Ancient gene, and was able to heal significant injuries after he had the entire Ancient Repository downloaded into his mind.

'He didn't have it for long though' thought the Major to himself as he reached the Magic box and pushed the door, only to find that there was a body of a woman lying in a pool of blood, as well as a man who turned around to look at the newcomer while holding a gun to Dawn's head. The major saw the young man turn the gun and pint it at him while Dawn shouted that he killed Anya.

'Must be the woman' thought the Major as he looked at the weapon and thought that it would be better that if the guy didn't have any weapons on him. Then in surprise to the Major himself, as well as Dawn and Warren, the gun flew out of the madman's hand and behind the counter. The Major saw the young man running towards the counter, and he took off.

Major Sheppard tackled Warren to the floor just before he reached the counter. The Air Force officer tried to get a grip on the squirming young man as he pounded his fists on the older man's back.

"Stay down!" shouted the Major who was on top of Warren with his arm on his neck as the younger man continued to squirm and kick out violently, "I said stay down!"

"I'll kill them all" said Warren as the Major looked at him, "I'll kill the sister, and the Slayer, and then the witch, and then the idiot, and then… and then…."

The Major saw Warren looking to his right, and behind the Air Force officer. Looking back over his shoulder, the Major saw Tara standing at the entrance with her mouth covered by her hands in shock at Dawn who was now cradling Anya's body while sobbing uncontrollably, and then at the Major who looked into her eyes.

"And then I'll kill her" said Warren as he continued to look at Tara who rushed to Dawn and Anya. Warren then looked back up at the Major who still had his arm on the young man's throat while he talked about how he'll make Tara his sex slave before he kills her, "might as well enjoy the bitch first."

The Major's eyes then went cold before he pushed down on the young man's throat with his arm, and pulled his other arm back. The Major could see Warren chocking as he pushed his other hand towards the young man's face.

"John, no!" said Tara as she looked at the Major who punched the young man who was underneath him.

"Kill him" said Dawn as she looked at the Major as he pulled back for another punch while Warren had gotten silent. Dawn knew that the gun that Warren was holding had gone behind the counter, so she gently placed Anya's body into Tara's hands, and then with fresh blood dripping from her hands, she ran behind the Major and went behind the counter. She then picked up the gun and aimed it at the unconscious Warren.

"John, Dawn!" shouted Tara as she looked horrified at the both of them while she was cradling Anya's body.

The Major immediately looked over his other shoulder at Dawn as she pointed the weapon with trembling hands at Warren's head. She moved on trembling legs until she was right across from him. Shaking his head, the Major put down the hand that was prepared to punch Warren again before he slowly stood up and stood between Dawn and the unconscious, but still breathing, Warren.

Earlier, Tara magically contacted Willow just as she entered the shop and saw Anya's dead body lying on the floor, she told her girlfriend to get back to the shop immediately but didn't say anything else. And now, Tara was trying to stop her brother from killing Warren. She heard what Warren said about what he wanted to do to her friends; she heard what he wanted to do to her if given the opportunity and then she saw a darkness that suddenly permeated out from the Major. She saw him punch the young man once, and then raise his hand again before shouting at him to stop. And then to her horror, she saw Dawn standing to the Major's right side with a gun aimed at Warren's head.

Tara shouted again before John put his fist down to his side slowly, and looked at Dawn as he stood up slowly. He then went on to stand between the unconscious Warren. She saw her brother talking to the young woman who was sobbing and shouting that Warren deserved to die.

Tara looked down at the deceased ex-vengeance demon and knew that her soul was gone. She was dead, and no matter what anyone did, there was no bringing her back. She looked up at her brother and sensed that he knew the same thing. She then looked down at Anya's body again after the Major convinced Dawn to give the gun to him, that Warren will be punished by the law and that if she shot him, then she'll be just like him.

The blonde witch reached down and closed Anya's eyelids while Dawn ran over to her, sat down and cradled the dead young woman into her arms again. Looking up with tear stained eyes, Tara saw her brother standing over Warren with the gun still in his hands. Tara wanted to say something but there was something stopping her mouth from moving. She could see a dark aura around him as he rolled his hand into a fist, and hoped that he wouldn't kill the young man. A few seconds later, she saw the man bring up the gun, and turn on the safety before turning around and placing it on top of the counter. Releasing the breath that she was holding, Tara looked at Dawn who was looking back at her with red eyes. The blonde witch leaned forward and hugged the crying Dawn, as Anya lay between them. Tara continued to look at Major Sheppard who was, in turn, looking at Warren's unconscious form before he turned and looked at Tara.

'Something in his eyes' thought Tara to herself before she nodded her head when the Major ran up to both Dawn and Tara. Going down on one knee, Major Sheppard told them that he'll try to revive her.. but Tara shook her head.

"She's gone" said Tara with tears in her eyes as Dawn just looked down at Anya whispering apologies, "she.. she doesn't have any life."

"Still worth a try" said the Major as he placed a hand over the head wound and concentrated, however nothing happened. He tried a few more times but there was the same result, absolutely nothing, "I'm sorry."

The Major told Tara and Dawn that he'll call the police, and have them send someone to pick up Anya's body. Tara moved up to Dawn and sat next to the crying girl as Major Sheppard got up and rushed to the phone.

Just as he was calling for the police, all three of them heard a car come to a screeching stop outside the shop before the door opened and in rushed Xander, Buffy and Willow… all with their eyes wide open at what was before them. Willow immediately went to Xander who stared at his ex-fiancée and held on to the trembling man's shoulder before hugging him, as did Buffy. Willow then went to Tara and held on to her hand while Buffy stayed with Dawn as Xander walked up to Anya, went down on both knees and cradled Anya in his arms after Tara handed her lifeless form to the dark haired young man.

"Ahn?" asked Xander as his eyes immediately teared up while he looked at Anya's face. He then caressed her cheeks before calling for her again, "Ahn?"

TBC.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**The Magic Box, 1700 hours.**

Xander was just sitting on the floor of the Magic Box. At first he could hear others talking; Tara's brother was on the phone calling for the police, and an ambulance. He could hear Dawn crying as she kept on repeating that what happened was her fault while Buffy tried to calm her down. He could sense the blonde Slayer just looking at him without having to actually look up and see her looking at him. He knew her too well.

He could feel Willow crouching beside him while putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing ever so lightly while telling him how sorry she was. But Xander didn't really care, all he cared about was the dead woman he was now cradling in his arms. HE could feel his eye's stinging as tears gathered while he caressed Anya's cheek, and then her forehead; brushing over the hole on her head. He could see her body slowly becoming pale as he thought to himself how they had come close to death numerous times; from the Mayor, to Adam, to Glory and now… now that they had faced every supernatural, or preternatural threat there was… one of them fell to a human. One of their own fell to a man-child.

Slowly, Xander started to hear the people around him again. He could hear Dawn calling for him, telling him that she was sorry.. that it should have been she who died, that Anya died saving hers.

"Yea" said Xander as he looked at the unconscious body of Warren just laying there. He glanced at the gun that was next to Major Sheppard while his back was to him, he then looked down at Anya again. Putting Anya back down gently onto the floor, Xander got up silently as Dawn and Buffy watched him.. his eyes just staring off into the distance.. before he walked past them, past the Major, past Tara and Willow as they looked at the body. Before even realizing it, Buffy ran to stop Xander as he started to kick at Warren's unconscious body while screaming obscenities.

"Xander!" shouted Buffy, using her speed to rush past Major Sheppard, and then grab a hold of him before spinning him around, "Xander, I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

"Kill him, Buffy" said Xander as he squirmed while she held his arms back even tighter, "kill him… kill him!"

Buffy glanced behind her and saw the Major checking for Warren's pulse before the man looked up at her and nodded his head; indicating that he wasn't dead. He then looked at the concerned faces of Tara, Willow, and Dawn before she looked at the back of the squirming Xander as he tried to get out of the blonde Slayer's grip.

"He's human, Xand" said Buffy, "if he was a demon, then yeah… I'd kill him in a heartbeat and…."

"What makes him different than the zookeeper, or the swim coach" said Xander as he continued to squirm, "what makes them different? Is it because of Anya? Is it because…"

"Xander" said Buffy as she let go off Xander's arms. She watched as the young man spun around and glared at her while pointing at Warren.

"No!" shouted Xander, "tell me what made them different? Tell me?"

"They were still threats" said Buffy, "they put lives in danger, and were going to continue to put lives in danger if I didn't do anything. My job is to slay, they used anything supernatural to hurt people… to kill people.. my job was to put them down. But Warren? He's already down. He's finished… we'll let human laws deal with him now."

Buffy looked behind her and glanced at the Major who was looking back at her while his hands were in his pockets. She told him that what Xander said was true, that she did what she had to do to keep people safe… that it was her responsibility.

"I can't imagine the things you have to be up against" said Major Sheppard as he rubbed the back of his head, "things happen and you have to do things you're not proud off."

The Major then looked at Xander and told him that Buffy's right, that Warren wasn't harming anyone now and that he'll be punished by the law. He asked him to be with Anya, that the police and an ambulance were on their way.

With his shoulders slumped forward, Xander took one look at Buffy who put her hands on his shoulders before hugging him. She then accompanied the young man over to Anya's body where he sat down again and cradled the body in his arms again. Leaning up against the counter, the Major looked at the Scoobies as they gathered around Anya's body as if they were keeping her company until she wuld be taken away. HE looked up at Tara who was holding on to Willow, before looking at Dawn who was leaning on Buffy who was rubbing her back as the young brunette continued to cry.

It was then that they heard siren's as two police cars and an ambulance showed up at the Magic Box. The Major showed his Air Force I.D. to the officers before giving them a statement about what happened, without mentioning that he telekinetically disarmed Warren. He told them that he disarmed him before pushing him to the ground, and throwing the gun behind the counter. The Major told the officer that he punched Warren, and that ended the confrontation.

"He killed her" said Dawn silently as she pointed at Warren, and then at Anya, "she protected me, and she died."

The officers then asked Dawn for a statement, and the Major told Buffy to stay by her side.

"Not leaving her" said Buffy as the paramedics rushed in and placed Anya's body on a gurney. All the while, Xander silently held her hand as she was covered in a white cloth before he followed them into the ambulance. Which was when two detectives came onto the scene

After everyone made their statements again to the detectives, they were told to head back.. that they needed to collect more evidence. The detectives told the Major that if they needed more information, that they would be contacted. After the officers had taken away Warren, the Major told the Scoobies gently that they needed to leave.

"Come on" said the Major, "I'll drive you guys to the hospital."

"I'll take my jeep" said Buffy softly as she held on to a silent Dawn who walked past the Major.

Major Sheppard looked on as Buffy and Dawn walked out of the door, and then looked at Tara and Willow who were talking to each other. The redhead then looked at the Major and told him that she'll be leaving with Buffy to the hospital, that she felt she needed to be with them.

"But.. but thanks for the offer" said Willow as the Major nodded his head before the redhead left the shop.

"I.. I should go with them, John" said Tara as she held her hands together in front of her, "will you be coming?"

"I think this is a private moment for you guys" said the Major as Tara looked at him and then looked down again, nodding her head. The Major could feel the blonde's sadness, so he told her gently as he walked up to her that he didn't really know any of them, and that if he stayed for long at the hospital.. then it would be like crashing something that was meant for only close family members, "you should go with your friends."

The Major gently held on to Tara's arms as he walked with her outside the shop where Willow was waiting for them outside Buffy's jeep. Seeing Tara walk out with the Major, Willow walked towards them as Tara smiled at her brother before he let go off her arm. She then walked towards Willow while glancing back at the Major who had a small smile in his face.

Willow then gently held on to Tara before looking at the Major and telling him that they'll see him at the hospital.

"This is a private moment for you guys" said the Major as Willow looked at Tara, before looking at the Major again, "I'll still be here if you need to talk to someone about what happened. I also need to call my boss and ask her to hold off talking to you guys about… you know… the other thing. So go, be with your friends."

"Be careful at night" said Tara as Willow nodded her head.

It was then that Willow and Tara slowly turned around and headed back to the jeep, before it drove away towards the hospital. The Major then sighed, shook his head and took out his cell phone. Dialling a number, he walked towards his rental car with a hand in his pocket. It wasn't too long before the other line was picked up… and her could hear the sounds of an aircraft engine in the background.

"Elizabeth" said the Major.

"John?"

"How close are you guys to Sunnydale?"

"About two hours away."

"Alright" said the Major, "listen, when you get here.. we'll need to do the whole talking about hacking into secret government files later… something just happened."

"What?" asked Dr. Weir with concern on her face as he looked at Daniel.

"One of my sister's friends was just shot" said the Major, "she didn't make it."

"I'm sorry" said the expedition leader.

"I've already given my statement to the police" said the Major, "so did my sister and her friends… but talking to them about all this right now seems a bit…. You know."

"I agree" said Dr. Weir, "then in the meantime, we need you at the Army Base. Rodney and Carson brought everything they need to test your blood work and the reasons why you're able to do what you said you did. Did it happen again?"

"Yeah" said the Major as he got into his car. He told Dr. Weir about what happened with Warren's gun, when he felt a breeze inside the car. He looked around with the phone stuck to his ear, but all the windows were shut. Confused, the Major then started the engine after Dr. Weir told him that she'll call once they reached Sunnydale. Putting the phone back into his pocket, the man drove off back to the hotel.

**Sunnydale General, 1830 hours.**

Tara was seated next to Willow, and had her arm around a silent Dawn as Xander was pacing silently. IN the meantime, Buffy had gone somewhere where she could have a decent cell phone signal so that she could make a call to Giles who returned to London.

"It's my fault" said Dawn gently as Tara held on to her tightly, "she died to save me, it's my fault."

"No, sweety" said Tara gently as Willow git up, and walked to Xander before she gently lay her hand on the young man's arm. Tara saw her whispering something to Xander, before he walked over to Dawn and crouched down in front of her… wiping the tears that were gathered in his eyes.

"Dawnie" said Xander gently as his voice broke, before he coughed to clear his throat, "what happened to Ahn wasn't your fault, she… she did what I asked her to do… to protect you and…"

"I told her things" said Dawn, "I made her angry and she told me to leave… that she didn't want.. that she couldn't look after me… I told her that she was selfish and…. and she still protected me. Xander, it's my fault she's dead…"

"That's Anya for you" said Xander softly as he looked at the floor, "always saying one thing, but doing another."

Xander looked up at Dawn and told her that Anya died to protect her. That no matter what she said to the brunette, that she'll always protect her.

"And she did" said Tara as she rubbed Dawn's back.

"Yeah, Dawnie" said Willow as she sat next to Dawn, "she sacrificed herself to protect you and… and I'm just sorry that I can't thank her for what she did."

Dawn could only silently cry as Xander held on to her hand before sitting next to her as Willow got up from her seat. As Willow walked up to, and sat next to Tara, they saw Buffy walk back into the room… her eyes red as she wiped a tear.

"Ummm" she said, "I talked to Giles. He.. he's coming back, he.. he should be here by sometime tomorrow."

Tara and the others just nodded their heads before a doctor walked into the room. As they stood up, the man said that Anya had two bullet holes in her body; one bullet went through her back and into her lung before longing in one of the ribs, and the other one was a head shot with a clean exit wound. He then told them that Anya would not have felt much pain, just a sting before everything went dark.

Xander asked the doctor if he could see the body of his ex-fiancée, to which the doctor nodded his head and asked the man to follow him. Buffy and the others told him that they'll wait in the waiting room while he said his goodbyes.

It was an hour later that after every one said their goodbyes to Anya, did everyone leave the hospital. Dawn was holding on to Buffy while Willow was holding on to Xander while Tara walked next to the depressed man. They were almost close to Buffy's jeep when Xander looked at Tara.

"You should see your brother, Tara" said Xander as Willow looked at her best friend, and then her girlfriend before giving her a small smile, "I mean you haven't seen him before and… well… this happened."

"I'll be here with you, Xander" said Tara, "it was John's idea, and… I don't think you should be alone.. you know."

"Yea, Xand" said Buffy as she looked back at Xander, "you can stay with us. You don't have to be alone in your apartment."

"Thanks" said Xander softly as Willow tightened her hold on the man, "but… but Tara, you know how they say that when something's gone… you miss it even more… I can tell you that there's a hole somewhere in me. I always thought that Anya would be there for me, you know….. I mean she's always at the Magic Box.. and.. and even when she's mad at me, she still looks beautiful. I let my fears, and my jealousy get at me and I paid the price. You have a brother now… he seems to be nice, and… and you should be with him. I lost my Anya, I'm scared you'll lose your brother too."

"Let's go home first" said Tara, "I'll call him from home."

The five of them then entered the jeep before Buffy started the engine, and headed home. All the while Dawn looked out the window at the passing street lights, blaming herself for what happened; while Xander did the same thing as he thought about what would happen if things were different, if he had married Anya instead of running away.

Once they reached Buffy's house, Willow took Xander up the stair to the room she shared with Tara. She helped Xander lay down on the bed before covering him with a blanket. She then got on the bed and placed her hand on the young man's shoulder while his back was turned towards her. They were up in the room for several minutes while she sat on the bed thinking; Willow knew that she and Anya had their issues in the beginning, but most of that was resolved following the whole mess with Olaf the Troll, but even then she didn't think of her as equal to her friends.

'She gave her life for Dawn' thought Willow to herself as Tara walked into the room. She told the redhead that she called Major Sheppard, and that he was on his way with some food for them. Willow nodded her head before asking about Buffy, and Dawn.

"Dawn's still feeling horrible" whispered Tara, "Buffy's with her in her room. Xander?"

"He's sleeping" said Willow as she looked over and noticed the steady breathing from the dark haired man, and then she looked at Tara, "I wish I could do something."

"Me too, Will" whispered Tara as she sat next to Willow, "but…"

"I know" said Willow, "natural death…. Risk of upsetting the natural balance of things… I know."

Tara just smiled at the redhead before putting her arm across her shoulders, and then leaning her head on top of Willow's head. It was a little while later that the Major came by the Summers house with some food. Tara was the one who met him down at the door, and helped him to bring the boxes of pizza and pop to the kitchen. She then asked him to wait for a few seconds before rushing back up to tell Willow and the others that they should have something to eat. Once she notified everyone, Tara walked back down the stairs and, then into the kitchen.

"They'll be coming down later" said Tara as she reached the island in the kitchen where the Major was seated.

"How are they doing?" asked the Major before he mentally kicked himself at asking such a question.

"They.. they're doing alright" said Tara as she sat down on the seat next to the Major, "Dawn still blames herself, and Buffy's taking care of her, while Willow's taking care of Xander.. they've been friends since childhood so…. Yeah."

"I'm sorry about your friend" said the Major.

"Her name was Anya" said Tara "and you did everything you could, but.. but there's no way to bring back the dead."

"True" said the Major as Tara looked at him. She didn't want to further confuse him by saying that there was a change that someone could be brought back to the land of the living if they died a mystical death, like Buffy when she jumped into the portal to save the world after she beat Glory The two of them just sat in the kitchen in silence for a few minutes before Tara nudged the Major with her arm.

"Da.. Dawn was asking if one day you could.. I mean.. you know… take her up on a plane ride?" asked Tara as she gave a small smile. The Major just looked at her before saying that he could ask his superiors, and if they approve.. then he'll take her up personally.

"And you?" asked the Major as Tara looked at the boxes on the island in front of her and then at the Major again before she nodded her head, "I'll definitely ask."

"Anya once told me that she was afraid of heights" said Tara, "but I think she would have loved to go up too."

"Who wouldn't?" asked the Major as Tara smiled.

"Well" she said, "I'm kind of afraid of heights… just a little bit.. not too much."

"Ohh" said the Major with a smile, "I'll take you up… definitely you're gonna go up."

Tara just smiled at the man when suddenly his cell-phone started to ring. Taking it out, he looked at the caller I.D and then told Tara that it was his boss. Tara nodded her head before the Major answered the call and placed the phone to his ear.

"Elizabeth?" said the Major.

"John" she said, "we just arrived at the Army Base. Major Davis is here, along with Dr. Jackson and the others. They'd like a debrief from you before Carson does his medical exam."

"Sure" said the Major, "I'm on my way."

The Major noticed Tara's face falling as soon as she said that he'll be leaving for the Army base. He then asked Dr. Weir if she needed Tara to come along as well to provide her DNA so that Dr. Beckett could compare it.

"If she's up for it" said Dr. Weir over the phone.

"I'll talk to her" said the Major, "and Mackay?"

"He's getting his equipment ready" said Dr. Weir, "you know Rodney, everything has got to be done to perfection.. and he's shouting at the poor soldiers here not to break anything."

"Right" said the Major, "I'll be on my way, Elizabeth."

The Major then put the phone down before looking to his left where he saw a smiling Tara, as well as Buffy standing in the hallway.

"You should go, Tara" said Buffy as she walked into the kitchen while Tara turned back to her surprised.

"Sor.. sorry, Buffy" she said, "I didn't see you there."

Buffy then shook her head and waved her hands.

"Willow's gonna be staying with Xander the rest of the night, Xander's not gonna eat anything cause he's asleep" said Buffy, "Dawn's finally asleep too, and I'll just be staying here."

"I.. I can stay" said Tara.

"It's alright" said Buffy, "go. We'll be alright."

"I.. I'll tell Willow" said Tara as she got up from her seat, and the ran up the stairs while the Major and Buffy were alone in the kitchen. Buffy opened one of the boxes of Pizza and took out a slice before biting into it. She then sat across from the Major in silence before she looked at him in the eye and thanked him.

"For?"

"Saving my sister" said Buffy, "and for trying to save Anya. Tara told us what you tried to do."

"I really am sorry" said the Major as Tara walked back down the stairs, this time with Willow by her side. Tara told the Major that she was ready to go before turning to the redhead and telling her that she'll be back soon.

"I'll make sure she gets back once she's done" said the Major as he looked at Buffy, "I've asked the others not to talk to you about…. You know… until tomorrow, if that's alright."

"Yea" said Buffy as she looked back at the staircase, and then at the Major again, "yeah, that's alright."

"I'll see you soon, Buffy" said Tara as she squeezed the blonde's arm before she, and the Major, walked out the door.

TBC.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Sunnydale Police Department, 2015 hours.**

In the cell that was shared by an unconscious Warren Mears, were his two accomplices in the group they dubbed 'The Trio'. Their sole job was to one day take over Sunnydale by being the best super villains they could be. As the other two, Andrew and Jonathan, looked at Warren lying on the bench next to their bunk bed, they started getting into an argument. Andrew told Jonathan, who secretly told Buffy the way to beat Warren when they last fought, which was the night that the Slayer crushed the orbs that gave Warren super strength; that he always knew that Warren would return for them.

"He got caught you doofus" said Jonathan as he pointed at the unconscious Warren. He then walked over to the young man and pointed at the bruise on his face, and neck, "and he was pretty beat up. Look at him… he's gone nuts.. maybe he was always nuts but.."

"But nothing" said Andrew, "he's our leader and….."

"Will you two shut up" said a groaning Warren as he slowly opened his eyes before he slowly got up with Andrew's help, "stop complaining."

"You left me there holding the bag" said Jonathan as Warren peered at him while the young man was wiping his face with his hands, "you and Jonathan were going to leave me to get caught by the police."

"Oh please" said Warren, "you were going to be a distraction, I was always going to be getting you out anyway."

"Yea" said Jonathan as he crossed his arms around his chest and spoke sarcastically, "sure you were. What? After I became someone's toy?"

"Hey, there's an idea" said Warren as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head before he looked down at his hands, and repeatedly made his hands into fists before looking at Jonathan with a murderous look on his face, "what did you tell them?"

"Nothing" said Jonathan as he walked back to the bed, "they caught us red-handed… the both of us are screwed even if we don't tell them anything."

"How did you get caught?" asked Andrew looking at Warren before he pleaded, "and do you have a way to get me out of here? With you I mean?"

"Wait, just you?" said an incredulous Jonathan at the person who he thought was his friend.

"Yea" said Andrew as he looked at the young man as he walked towards Warren who was still looking at his arm, hands and then he looked at Andre before asking him if his face was really bruised up, "yea, why?"

"Amazing" said Warren as he sat down on the bench again as he touched his own face, "that idiot never realized."

"What are you talking about?" said Jonathan dismissively after he turned around and went up to the barred up window. He then turned around again when he heard a clicking sound and looked directly at Warren with his eyebrows narrowed, "Warren, what did you do?"

"One down, my friends" said Warren with a wide grin as Jonathan walked up to Andrew and looked at Warren. They could hear a buzzing sound coming from Warren that made them step back against the bars to the cell they shared, "now come the rest. The Slayer's going to be making her mistakes as I take each one of her group down. Then I'll be the chief super villain of Sunnydale."

"I thought it's all three of us" said Andrew.

"Two of you" said Jonathan as he crossed his arm across his chest, "this is just ridiculous. I thought we agreed not to kill anyone? We were just supposed to rule Sunnydale and have sex slaves and…. and now that I think about it, Buffy saved us many times when we were in high school and she's really not that bad and…."

"And that's why" said Warren standing up before he walked towards Jonathan before he poked the young man's chest with his finger, "you….. are….. out…."

"Whatever" said Jonathan, "I'll do my time and then go home."

"I'll go with you, Warren" said Andrew, "you'll be my master, and I'll be your padawan."

"Andrew, Andrew, Andrew" said Warren as the two young men heard another click coming from him as he stood in front of them, "you're a moron. I don't need you, or Jonathan."

"Warren?" asked Jonathan, "what did you do?"

"Can't have any witnesses, you see" said Warren as Jonathan's eyes went wide before he turned around and screamed for help. However, it was too late to do anything as an explosion took out the lockup area on the second floor of the Sunnydale Police Station, particularly everyone in the cell that contained the Trio. However, the blast wasn't just confined to the cells… two police officers who had heard Jonathan shouting for help were also caught in the blast.

It was in a black van on the other side of the city that the real Warren was sitting in the rear of the vehicle looking at a screen as he put the microphone he was holding down onto the table before he leaned back on his seat with a mixture of emotions. He had gotten rid of his accomplices, by using his most advanced robot yet; a creation that would mimic human reactions perfectly, advanced enough to conduct surveillance, and even drive a car on it's own while he was watching through it's eye cameras. It would even feel human, the skin on the body would be able to react to any temperature, and would even sweat, or bruise when hit. He wanted to use the robot to kill the Slayer's friends, while he himself then took out Buffy in her moment of weakness.

But now, he had to sacrifice the robot…. His prize creation next to the Buffy-bot that Spike had him build. He turned off the monitor after the camera in the robot's eye blew up, and then stood up before opening the rear doors and stepping out into an alleyway. He reached back into the rear of the van and took out a duffel bag full of cash that the group had stolen; he may have lost his weapon, but he still had resources to build more. For now, though, he needed to buy some much needed magical weapons from Rack, the black magic dealer. He knew that the killing of Anya had broken the already fragile Scoobies as he closed the rear doors of the van before turning around, he hoped that he could have killed the sister too… but if the man hadn't interfered, the same man he heard was Tara's brother, an Air Force major.. he would have killed Dawn too.

"They're probably at home by now" said Warren as he continued to walk into the alley with the knowledge that the police won't be coming after him now that he technically 'died'. He knew that the police were not only incompetent, but they would also want to cover up that a man with a bomb entered the police station and exploded without a trace. He knew that they'd think it was something supernatural since they'd find only two bodies, and so they would sweep it under the rug. But now, he had to go on to plan 'B', "I'll get my things from Rack, and check the house out, and then I'll attack. They're all broken by now.. so… this will be so much fun. If that bastard's not there, then that's fine too… I'll get him later for ruining my robot."

Warren held out his hand as he continued to walk; and it wasn't too long before the air in front of him rippled as he found himself in Rack's place, "here we go."

**Sunnydale Army Base, twenty minutes later.**

Major Sheppard and Tara stayed mostly silent during the thirty minute car rise to the Sunnydale Army Base in the outskirts of the city. The only voice in the car for most of the time came from the car's on-board GPS navigation system. During the ride though, Tara kept on glancing at the Major while knowing in her heart that he was hiding something from her.. from everyone. She could just simply sense it coming off of him, but she restrained herself from saying anything. Instead, she decided to break the ice ten minutes into the journey after some small talk and asked him about the people they'll be meeting.

"Well" said the Major as he titled his head thoughtfully, "there's Dr. Elizabeth Weir, she's in charge of the expedition, and my boss. There's Rodney… Dr. Rodney Mackay, our resident genius…. He's smart, but he's arrogant as.. well…. he's the most arrogant person I know. But he's also the smartest person I know, and he comes through in a pinch."

"The Major then looked at Tara and told her not to tell him he said any of that.

"I won't" smiled Tara as she nodded at the Major,

"But… he does his best work when under pressure" said the Major, "I sometimes carry around a lemon with me."

The Major saw the confused look on the Major's face before he laughed and told her that he's deathly allergic to citrus.

"You're so evil" said Tara as she giggled, "that's just bad."

"No it's not" said the Major as he smiled and looked ahead, "but it gets the work done."

"Still" said Tara.

"There's Carson… Dr. Carson Beckett" said the Major, "he's the Chief Medical Officer of the expedition, and another man going back with us is Dr Daniel Jackson."

"Wait, that name" said Tara as she looked out the window before looking at the Major in surprise, "I recognize… hold on, I heard one of my professors use him as an example of theories that are so ridiculously outlandish, so unscientific that he's now a pariah in academia, and on the outs with other archaeologists and anthropologists."

"Yep" grimaced Major Sheppard, "that's the one."

"The man who said that the pyramids were landing pads for alien ships is part of the expedition?" asked Tara as the Major nodded his head.

"The place we were lost had a lot of ancient ruins" said the Major as he tried to come up with a suitable cover story, "and Dr. Jackson, despite his reputation, has been helping the military in cataloguing the various artifacts we brought back from the place where we were lost. He's been working at Cheyenne Mountain for some time actually, mainly looking after and studying ancient artifacts that museums keep in those temperature controlled vaults. He gets to see so of the…. Tara?"

The Major saw Tara looking at him as he continued to drive the car. He looked at Tara again as she narrowed her eyebrows before her smile faded and she leaned back on the passenger seat. Unknown to the Major, Tara just found he lied to her in regards to Daniel, and his role at Cheyenne. Tara hung her head as the Major looked on confused.

"The… there's some.. something I.. I need to te.. tell you" said Tara as she looked at the Major.

Major Sheppard had noticed that Tara would start stuttering when she was afraid, nervous, or when around strangers. And that just was just what little time he had spent with her that day. So while she spoke normally with him at the Espresso Pump until this moment, the man was wondering if she was nervous about something.

"It's alright" said the Major, "you can tell me if some thing's bothering you."

"I… ummm… this is something that just happens when I sense something wrong and…. and…" said Tara nervously, "and.. and I can read aura's."

"Meaning?" asked the Major, not liking where this was going.

"I… I'm so sorry… I.. I should have told you earlier" panicked Tara.

"Tara" said the Major as he stopped the car at the side of the road before looking at his sister, "whatever it is, we can deal with it."

"I… I can read aura's to tell if people are human, demons, or vampires" said Tara nervously as the Major nodded his head.

"O..k" said Major Sheppard, "sounds like a useful ability."

"I.. I have to physically call on it to read if someone is human.. or.. you know" said Tara, "bu… but emotions and.. and lies.. hidden truth's.. it.. it just happens."

"Oh boy" said the Major as he looked back out the windscreen as he noticed Tara looking at him with fear in her eyes, and panic starting to set in, "so you know that what I told you…"

"I.. I know you told us some half truths" said Tara, "but.. but just now I know that everything you said… was… was a lie… I .. I know I should have told you this earlier.. but…."

"Tara" said the Major as he turned his body and faced the blonde as he thought of something to say that would make her understand what he did, "I meant what I said. I'm not going to tell my people about you, or your friends… not unless you want them to know. But I need you to know that my life is full of secrets, classified stuff that I can't tell anyone… even those I haven't talked to in a long time. And there is a reason for the secrecy, but… but I can't get into it since its, well, classified. But what I do, what this expedition is doing is helping millions of people. There's a reason I can't tell you what I do.. no matter how much I want to. IF you're not sure about meeting my people… then I can turn back right now and bring you back home. But if you want to continue going, then I just want you to know that the people there will have secrets too, but it's to keep people safe."

Tara could see that the Major was sincere in everything he just told her. She understood that there would be secrets and that she may not like it, but she understood that he had a reason for it.

"I… I'd like to keep going" said Tara with a small smile before the Major nodded his head and pulled the car away heading towards the Army Base.

**Department of Home World Security, Pentagon, at that same time.**

General O'Neill was preparing for his briefing with the President's national security team the next day. This was the one part of the job he didn't like as much as when he used to go through the Stargate during his tenure as the leader of SG-1, mostly because he wanted to hit his head on the wall to prevent himself from glassing over. But he knew those days were behind him now as he read through the current reports that General Landry had sent over concerning the state of the galaxy, the situation with Atlantis, the situation with Major Sheppard, and a few reports on Colonel Carter's repair of the Hyperdrive on the Prometheus which was still in orbit of Earth.

He leaned forward on his desk and sighed when he thought about his former second-in-command. She was now the head of research and development at Area 51, and was the lead in the team that upgraded the security that surrounded files of all SGC, Home World Security, and Atlantis team personnel. So she was the one of the first people, following General O'Neill, who was notified about the breach in Major Sheppard's file from Sunnydale. He knew that she was working on re-enforcing security from the Prometheus, however she assured the General that the hyper-drive test would be on schedule; they'll be running a test when the Daedalus returns to Earth orbit.

The General then leaned back on his seat as he thought about the Colonel, and then he thought about Teal'c leaving the SGC to help create a new government for the Free Jaffa Nation; and then Daniel asking him to be reassigned to Atlantis. That with SG-1 effectively retired, he wanted to move on to Atlantis.. the home of the Ancients. General O'Neill remembered trying to convince him to stay, that the new commander of SG-1 would need his expertise; however he was adamant in going, saying that this was the perfect chance to study the records in the Ancient city. Eventually the man agreed to let Daniel go to Atlantis. The General's thoughts, however, would eventually always come back to Colonel Carter and how he wished that she took up a civilian position and still be the head of research and development.

'Stop it, O'Neill' thought the General to himself as he kicked himself mentally, 'selfish ass. She wouldn't give up her career, and neither would you. So stop it, and get on with your life.'

Sighing, the General leaned forward again and started to read the reports when there awas a knock on his door.

"Come" he said looking up as the door opened and Captain Rossum, one of the researchers at Home World, walked in holding a file, "what is it, Captain?"

"Sir" said the Captain after he nodded at the General before handing the file over to him, "you asked us to run an analysis on Sunnydale and… well, there was a flag on the city, Sir. A file already existed… that file in your hand."

The Captain saw the General looked at him surprised before he opened the file. He then saw the man's expression become steely as he continued to skim through the file from one page to another, all the while he could feel tension filling out the room. Captain Rossum had heard rumours about General O'Neill, that he was a joker, and too laid back, while some in other departments whispered how someone like that could be a General. But he had seen the man working up close since he joined Home World Security, and the stories he heard from the people around him about the General were vastly different from the stories he heard outside; he was the one of the first through the Stargate, he looked at false gods before grinning and killing them, he saved the world from an attack by Anubis, he and SG-1 defeated Apophis….. there were other stories he heard, and he read the mission reports on all of them. And as he looked at the expression on the General's face now, he just hoped that the man wouldn't shoot the messenger.

"Captain" said the General as he looked up at the man with what many called his 'I asked you to do this yesterday' face, "get me Dr. Jackson."

**Sunnydale Army Base, five minutes later.**

The Major drove the car through the gates of the base as Tara looked around. She saw that there weren't a lot of people around as she found herself heading towards a hanger in the distance. As they got closer, Tara saw that the car came to a gentle stop outside a door where a dark haired man in glasses was talking on a cell phone with his hands on his waist while pacing outside the door.

Once the Major had gone out of the car, as did Tara, they walked towards the door as the man turned around again and nodded at Major Sheppard. He then put his hand over the cell phone and told him that Dr. Weir was inside.

The Major nodded his head before the man went back to speaking on the phone. Tara then smiled at the man before she followed her brother through the door and then stopped once inside as she stared with her mouth open at the banks of computers and equipment that took up once entire large corner of the hanger.

"Tara?"

"Oh, I wish Willow was here" said Tara as she stepped towards the Major while looking at the inactive computers, monitors and various other equipment that she had no idea what they did. She walked with the Major until they reached a dark haired tall woman who was talking to an uniformed Air Force officer. The both of them turned around when they heard Major Sheppard and Tara heading towards them.

"Major" said Dr. Weir before she stepped towards him and Tara, and then introduced Major Davis to the both of them.

"Dr. Elizabeth Weir" said Major Sheppard as he turned towards Tara, "this is my half-sister, Tara."

"Tara Maclay" she said as the blonde shook Dr. Weir's hand before shaking Major Davis'.

"My condolences for your friend" said Dr. Weir as Tara nodded her head, "are the rest of your friends alright? Do they need medical attention?"

"What happened has shaken them up" said Tara, "An.. Anya is… was close to them."

"I see" replied Dr. Weir before looking at Major Sheppard, "Major, I'd like for you to debrief us and…"

The diplomat then turned to Tara and told her that if she's comfortable, she'd like their Chief Medical officer to have her blood drawn for a DNA test.

Once Tara nodded her head, Dr. Weir turned and waved Dr. Beckett over. Running towards the group in his white coat, he passed MacKay before telling him to say hello to the Major's sister.

"But, I…."

"Rodney" said the doctor as he grabbed the scientist's arm, "be nice."

"Miss Maclay" said Dr. Weir when Tara interrupted her.

"Ple.. please, just call me Tara."

"Alright" said Dr. Weir as Dr. Beckett and Mackay walked up to them. She then motioned towards the two who were standing next to her and introduced them to Tara, "Carson, would you please take Tara with you and begin the process of drawing blood?"

"Of course" said Dr. Beckett as he turned to the blonde, "this way please, lass."

"You're from Scotland?" asked Tara upon hearing Dr. Beckett's accent.

"Yes, Glasgow actually" said the man, "have you ever been there?"

"No" said Tara as she walked away after looking back at Major Shepperd, who nodded back at her, before she turned to the doctor again, "but I've always wanted to visit."

As Tara and Dr. Becket walked away, Mackay was looking at Tara before he turned back to face the Major.

"So that's your sister?" asked Mackay as he looked at Tara again, and then at the Major, "so….."

"She's not your type, Mackay" said the Major.

"I'm not…." Said Mackay as he waved his hands in front of him, "all I wanted to say was I don't see the resemblance. And well… does she have any friends?"

"Mackay" said the Major.

"Fine.. fine" said the Scientist, "so, what happened?"

"Maybe we should go outside and speak?" asked Dr. Weir as she looked back at Tara who was talking to Dr. Beckett as they reached the hospital bed that was surrounded by machines before looking at the Major again.

"Major?" said Davis as they headed towards the door, "how did you know you had a sister? I mean…"

"I didn't know" said the Major until he took out the envelope and handed it to Dr. Weir just as Daniel rushed back into the hanger.

"Major" nodded Daniel at Major Sheppard.

"Dr. Jackson? Are you alright?" asked Dr. Weir.

"That was Jack" said Daniel, "we need to talk, right now."

TBC.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Sunnydale Army Base, 2050 hours.**

Tara watched Major Sheppard walk out of the hanger they were in, but not before he looked back at her and signalled that he'll be right outside.. With Sunnydale being what it was, that the night was when the real dangers came out for the woodwork, Tara knew that they'll be safe in an army base.

'Unless something like Adam shows up again' thought Tara to herself as she nodded at the Major who left the hanger with Daniel, McKay, Dr. Weir and Major Davis. She then found herself looking at the machines that surrounded the bed she was sitting on as Dr. Beckett returned to her side, along with a nurse and a tray that carried a syringe, and two vials.

"I hope you're not afraid of needles" said Dr. Beckett as he smiled at the blonde who gave him a small smile before looking at the nurse as she prepared her arm for drawing blood. She then looked at Dr. Beckett who told her that he'll make it as quick and painless as possible.

"Th.. thank you" said Tara nervously when she finally realized that she was all alone among strangers. It wasn't too long before she shook her head, and pushed every bad thought that came to her mind out of the way, 'John trusts them, and… and if he trusts them then I'm fine. He won't let them harm me.'

"Are you alright, Tara?" asked Dr. Beckett when he noticed that she was looking off into the distance.

"Ye.. yes, sorry" said the blonde as she looked at the nurse preparing the syringe, and then the vials. She watched as the burse then gently took her hand and rubbed some alcohol on it. Dr. Beckett told Tara what was going on, before he started to ask question about her so that she'd be distracted. However, she answered the doctors questions but she was still distracted. She kept on looking out the door, still hoping that her brother wouldn't leave her alone here.

While Dr. Beckett was inside the hanger drawing blood from a still distracted Tara, Major Sheppard was outside as Daniel began talking about what General O'Neill had told him about Sunnydale. They listened to Daniel as he told them about the Initiative and its mission to militarize demons and vampires, the creation of a demon-human hybrid that went out of control and nearly murdered every human on base so that it could create more of itself. Daniel explained to the stunned audience that according to the file, the creature that the lead scientist who had illegally created it, manipulated the Initiative by having demons be caught easily. And then once they were under the control of the Initiative, and the holding rooms were crowded… Adam took over and released the demons.

"It was a massacre" said Dr. Weir as Daniel nodded his head.

"OK before we continue" said McKay, "you do realize that what we're talking about are demons and vampires, right? As in movie vampires? Drinks blood? Aversion to the cross? Holy Water? That vampire?"

"And demons" said Major Davis as he looked at Daniel, "are you sure, Dr. Jackson?"

"According to the report?" said Daniel, "yes, that's what Jack told me."

"Well" said Major Davis, "that's something you don't hear every day."

"Given what we know about what's out there in the galaxy" said Dr. Weir, "can we be surprised that all this exists on Earth?"

"Again, Vampires" said McKay in frustration, "demons, vampires… and…"

"We're fighting the Wraith, McKay" said Major Sheppard, "they drain the life force from human's, use them as food. If you can believe that.. that why not vampires."

"For one, the Wraith evolved from the Iratus bug over millions of years to feed on their prey. Their prey being us - humans" said McKay, "and second, we're in danger from them every day. We've seen what they can do…. We can reach out and touch them.. we know the danger they represent in Pegasus, and if they ever get to Earth… but vampires? Come on, Major… even you have to be a bit sceptical."

"All I'm saying is that we need to keep an open mind on this" said the Major, hoping that the file that General O'Neill found didn't mention any of the Scoobies.

"From what Jack can tell" said Daniel, "the file he read was one of many. Most of the information was destroyed after the Initiative protect failed. Apparently, they even destroyed the base they had here. But there was mention of a group that helped some of the personnel escape the base, they saved a fifth of the personnel… the rest all died."

"Civilians?" asked Major Davis.

Major Sheppard looked on without any expression on his face while he listened to Daniel saying that the names of those civilians were missing, that must have been in some of the other destroyed files. However, he did say that there were vague summaries on these civilians helping to fight of the demons while helping some of the personnel escape.

"Are there any picture, Dr. Jackson?" asked Major Sheppard as he kept on hoping that there weren't any picture, and if there were.. then they would be destroyed as well. The man wanted to keep the Scoobies secret for as long as he could, especially Tara's secret. He didn't know if the Initiative knew about magic, and if they did know about it's existence.. he hoped that information was lost as well.

"No pictures" said Daniel, "but, immediately after jack received information on the Initiative, and Sunnydale… he got a call from the President."

"The President?" asked Dr. Weir, "why?"

"Here's the screwed up part" said Daniel, "the President told him that he received notification from an outside organization that they had an asset in the city, and we aren't supposed to be attempting to recruit her, or…."

"Outside organization?" asked Major Davis.

"I couldn't believe it either" said Daniel, "and Jack's not happy about it, neither is the President. But the head of this Watchers Council of Great Britain called the Prime Minister, who in turn called Hayes and asked his not to have anyone approach.. or even try to recruit this asset."

"Dr. Jackson" said Dr. Weir confused, "what are you saying? That a foreign organization is refusing to have us talk to this… asset?"

"They knew we were checking in on Sunnydale" said Daniel, "they must have planted some flag on any remaining Initiative files. Anyway, Hayes gave Jack information that he wasn't supposed to. Apparently, this asset of there is a young woman with mystically based abilities by the name of Buffy Summers."

"Mystical?" asked McKay hysterically as the others listened in silence while Major Sheppard internally groaned, "Mystical?"

"That's what the President said" said Daniel, "he told Jack that the Council were very protective of their asset, and they were going to intervene when they found Miss Summers received clearance to join the Initiative due to her status as a Slayer. They've relayed their displeasure – their words – on the Army gaining control of a Slayer when they have an agreement that such a thing wasn't supposed to happen."

"Let me guess" said Major Sheppard, "they didn't intervene because the Initiative fell?"

"The President told Jack that she quit after a few days" said Daniel, "but Jack's pissed that an outside force is preventing him doing his job as the head of Home World Security."

"I would be too" said Major Davis as he shook his head.

"The President told Jack that he was sorry" said Daniel, "that his hands were tied because of the agreement with the Council. Though Jack did ask the President to clarify some things."

"Like?" asked McKay.

"Well, he got confirmation that Miss Summers was one of the civilians who helped some of the military personnel escape" said Daniel, "which means that she may know the other civilians involved in saving whoever they could. And since we can't make contact with, or recruit Miss Summers… this Council never said anything about talking to these other civilians. Jack cant run a check on her since her public files are possibly flagged as well. We'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

"Guys… again… magic?"

"We've seen things that…"

"If you mean the Ancients?" said McKay, "it only seemed they had magic powers because they were already evolutionarily advanced than normal humans. And that's not to mention the powers of an Ascended being.. Chaya being the prime example. But what you're talking about here is magic… it's not possible."

"Some of the things we've in Pegasus.. in Atlantis are unexplainable" said Major Sheppard.

"They're technological" said McKay, "I can tear it apart and look at how it works, even the Atlantis database tells us how to create ZPM's but it'll take me…."

"And your team" said Dr. Weir, "you and your team."

"Yeah.. yeah" said McKay, "it'll take me a life time just to understand it all, and even then… it's not magic. It just seems like it because the technology is so far ahead of us that it's not even funny.. that doesn't mean it's magic. Do you think the puddle jumpers are magic?"

"No" said Major Sheppard.

"That's because we have an idea of how it works" said McKay, "to someone in the stone age, it would seem like magic. Magic doesn't exist… this girl.. this Miss Summers.. by the way, what kind of a name is Buffy anyway…"

"McKay" said Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard together.

"Look" said McKay, "maybe this Slayer is just a genetically engineered human, and anyone who uses magic is in some way a human on an evolutionary path to Ascension. But Magic by itself? Really?"

"We can't discount anything though" said Daniel as Dr. Weir nodded her head, "I remember the Nox were able to revive SG-1 when we first encountered them. Aphis' Jaffa killed us.. but they revived us; as well as one of their own people."

"Advanced humans" said McKay, "you just proved my point. They said that to revive someone, there still had to be some life.. some electrical charge left in the body basically that they could use to jumpstart the body again. It's not magic."

"There are some things out there that we still don't understand, Rodney" said Dr. Weir, "don't discount anything."

Major Sheppard was torn now. They knew that Buffy was the Slayer, and that the other civilians who helped save the military personnel were probably her friends; but if he told them right now… he would be betraying Tara. But when they go to talk to Buffy and Willow about breaking into his file… Dr. Weir and the others will know that he knowingly lied.

It was then that Dr. Beckett walked out into the night from the hanger to tell Dr. Weir and the others that he was done with taking blood from Tara, that now he needed to take blood from the Major.

"Go ahead, John" said Dr. Weir as Major Sheppard nodded his head, still unsure of what he should do, as he turned and walked into the hanger. HE smiled at Tara who was sitting on a chair having some crackers while there was a small bandage on her left arm.

"Go ahead and take a seat, Major" said Dr. Beckett, "I'll be right back."

As Dr. Beckett headed back to get the materials he needed, Major Sheppard got off the bed and walked over to Tara before crouching down in front of her.

"You alright?"

"Yes" said Tara as she nodded her head.

"Listen, Tara" said the Major before he turned his head to make sure that Dr. Beckett was still on the other side of the area gathering materials before looking at Tara again, "the people I work with just found out about the Initiative."

Tara opened her eyes wide at the revelation as she looked behind Major Sheppard, and then at the entrance to the hanger before looking at her brother once again, worry reflected n her face.

"At first they didn't know about some things" said Major Sheppard, "but it seems that there's another organization protecting Buffy, and they kinda outed her as a Slayer. One of the Initiative files said that a group of civilians helped save some of the military personnel, and my bosses boss suspects that one of them was Buffy… and the rest could be her friends. My people know that her powers are mystical and…."

"What will you do?"

"They're going to want to talk to Willow about what happened with my file" said the Major, "that's something that I can't help with, and when Buffy introduces herself… well, they'll know I didn't tell them everything."

'Will you get into trouble?" asked Tara as the Major smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"But apparently we can't contact, or recruit the Slayer" said Major Sheppard, "I can have my team talk with Willow somewhere else, but Carson wants to check up on Buffy; make sure she's not hurt in any way."

"I.. I.."

"Major?" asked Dr. Beckett as he returned to the empty bed, "I'm ready."

"Yeah" said the Major as she looked over his shoulder before looking at Tara, "I'll think of something."

Tara watched, conflicted, as the Major walked over to the bed and sat down while Dr. Beckett started the procedure of drawing his blood. The blonde witch knew that hiding the truth from Dr. Weir and the others would get her brother into trouble, so she made a decision. She'll have to talk to Buffy once she gets back after the Major gets his blood drawn. It was then that she noticed McKay, Dr. Weir and the others walking back into the hanger. She could see that McKay was angry about something while he kept on mumbling under his breath, and then she saw the other man from earlier follow them into the hanger as they walked towards the Major. Tara saw that McKay, meanwhile, was working on attaching various monitors and computers to gadgets that she didn't recognize.

"Tara?" said the Major as he nodded at Daniel, "this is Dr. Daniel Jackson."

"Dr. Jackson?" said a surprised Tara as she stood up, "I'm sorry I…"

'Didn't know who I am" said Daniel, "I get that a lot."

"I've heard a lot about you though" smiled Tara while shaking the man's hand, however when he let go she noticed a strange feeling go through her body. It felt as if a warmth just travelled through to her soul before passing through her body. Shaking her head, Tara continued to say that she heard a lot about him from the professors in her Anthropology classes.

"Ah yes" said Daniel with his hands in his pockets, "they still bring up that book?"

"Uh huh?" said Tara, "and.. and the lecture you gave before you vanished from academia. But I.. I never realized you were working with special artifacts for museums."

"Yea… special artifacts" said Daniel as he looked at the Major, before looking at Tara again, "really interesting artifacts really, I'm still hoping that I'll find something that will get me back into the good graces of the scientific community."

Tara immediately noticed Daniel's aura when he said that he hoped he'll find something that would get him back into the scientific community. She could see that his aura was pulsing, and she could tell he was lying about something but she could see something behind his aura; a bright white light.

"Tara?" asked Daniel as the blonde shook her head, "are you alright?"

"Ye.. yes" said Tara, "sorry, I guess I'm just a bit tired. A lot's happened today."

"Understandable" said Dr. Weir as Major Sheppard got off the bed and walked towards them.

"Maybe it's time I took Tara home" said Major Sheppard as he helped Tara stand up, just as Dr. Weir's phone started to ring. Picking up the phone from her pockets, the woman connected the call and brought the phone to her ear.

"Yes? Oh, General" said Dr. Weir as she mouthed to the Major that it was General O'Neill on the line, "yes… Major Sheppard? Yes.. he's right here… uh huh? Uh huh? OK… I'm sure there are many people with that name General. Yes, I understand that Buffy's not a very common name but… I understand… of course, sir… yes… I'll talk to him sir. I'm absolutely certain he didn't know.. of course, sir."

"Elizabeth?" asked the Major as he suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut as the woman sighed before looking at him.

"John" said Dr. Weir, "that was General O'Neill and.. and well he was notified your name popped up on a police report from Sunnydale and, he accessed the report."

"I told you about it" said Major Sheppard as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Yes" said Dr. Weir, "but you never mentioned that one of the witnesses was Buffy Summers."

Tara noticed Major Sheppard's face fall and finally made a decision. She walked next to her brother and told Dr. Weir, and the others that he wasn't aware that her name was Buffy.

"She introduces herself to strangers as Anne" said Tara as the Major and the others looked at her, "that's her name, Buffy Anne Summers. I was there when she introduced herself, when I met John for the first time, I mean."

"John?" asked Dr. Weir as she looked at the Major, "is that true?"

Major Sheppard looked at his sister who gave him a small smile before telling the others that it was true, she did introduce herself as Anne.

"Major Davis" said Dr. Weir, "please accompany Tara to the car, and stay with her. Major Sheppard will be with her soon."

"Sure" said Major Davis as he escorted Tara out of the hanger, the blonde witch looking behind her and giving the Major a small smile before heading out of the hanger. In the meantime, McKay was still working on his computers, as he started to set up every sensor imaginable before he connected everything to the Prometheus that was still in orbit so that he could scan for any strange energy reading that would be affecting the Major. Back at the bed, Dr. Weir was looking at Major Sheppard with her arms across her chest as she frowned at Major Sheppard, while Daniel just stood next to her with his hands in his pockets.

"John?" whispered Dr. Weir while Daniel made sure that everyone, including Dr. Beckett, was doing his own work, "did you really know that the person we were talking about was Buffy Summers?"

"Look, yeah" said the Major, "she did introduce herself as Buffy, and she did tell me something about why she and her friend looked into my file. Apparently they got burned by this Initiative, the lead scientist tried to kill her, and the personnel were after her as well… it was kind of hostile between them. Then when Adam was released, she tried to help but they didn't listen… then what Dr. Jackson told us about happened. Demons got loose and people died, she helped save people."

"John, you…"

"Dr. Weir" said Daniel, "its understandable that Miss Summers would be a bit iffy in regards to the military especially with what Jack told me about the Initiative. He still trying to get the other files which he says are somewhere in deep storage. But, with this Council's not letting us even talk to Miss Summers, we could talk to her friends."

"Do you know if Miss Summers' friends have any abilities?"

"No idea" said the Major, "but the girl who broke into my file's smart, really smart."

"Sam really wants to talk to her" said Daniel before he looked at Dr. Weir, "since we cant talk to Miss Summers about her Slaying activities, or recruit her, maybe we can talk to her friends. If they really were the ones who helped her rescue those soldiers, then maybe we could get a firsthand account of what happened down there."

"John?" said Dr. Weir.

"We should take it slow" said Major Sheppard, "with her friend's death, and then with this whole Initiative situation… maybe we hold off on the interview about what happened down there. We'll just have Carson examine Anne, and talk to the one who broke into my file."

Dr. Weir and Daniel agreed with that, and decided not to tell Major Davis or anyone else that he knew about Buffy back when they were talking about her. It wasn't long before Tar and the Major left the Army Base and headed for Buffy's house where, while driving, Major Sheppard told Tara to give a message to Buffy and the others. That she introduced herself as Anne, and that the others didn't have any abilities. It was a little over twenty minutes later that the Major reached Buffy's house before he walked with Tara up to the front porch and knocked on the door.

"Are you going back to the hotel?" asked Tara as the door opened to reveal Buffy standing on the other side.

"Yea" said the Major, "they'll run the other tests on me later tomorrow, but.. ummm… yeah. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yea" said Tara as she nodded her head at the Major before heading in. Tara suddenly stopped before turning around again, and then giving the Major a hug, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night" said the Major as Tara pulled back, "you have my number in case anything happens?"

"Yea" she said as Tara closed the door while the Major walked down the stairs, and back to his car.

Inside the house, Tara placed her hand on the door before she looked at Buffy. The blonde Slayer recognizing the look on Tara's face immediately got worried that something may have happened. And her suspicions were confirmed when Tara said, "Buffy, we need to talk."

**Westown Hotel, Sunnydale, 2300 hours.**

In the parking lot of the Westown Hotel was parked the same black van that lay in the alley earlier that day. With the destruction of his robot, Warren had to go onto his contingency plan which involved large sums of money, and magical gadgets from the dark magic dealer known as Rack. As Warren looked at the screen which showed the view from across the Major's room in the hotel thanks to a micro-camera of Warren's own design. HE looked at the video and chuckled as he ate some take-out.

He was going to take care of the Major after he took care of Buffy, but once he received his magical gadgets from Rack… he decided to kill the Major first since he was the unknown in his quest against Buffy. So once the man received his items from Rack, he rushed back to his van and hacked into the records of every hotel in Sunnydale until he found the name of Major John Sheppard.

'You thought my robot couldn't hear you because you knocked it unconscious' Warren had thought to himself while furiously typing on his keyboard earlier that day.

Once he found out where the Major stayed, it was only through the use of a glamour spell that he disguised himself as one of the front desk staff, took the Major's key, and then attacked the camera across the hallway towards his room. Warren then took out five spheres, as well as a small pen-shaped speaker, from his pockets as he walked into the room with the stolen key and closed the door behind him. He walked towards the corners of the room and lay one sphere on each side, and the speaker on the table before he opened the door and lay the last one behind the door as he walked out into the hallway while whistling.

Now, Warren continued to eat his food when he suddenly sat up straight as the Major walked to his door. HE saw the Major slide his keycard in before opening the door, and then walked inside before closing the door behind him.

"Hah" said Warren as he picked up his burner phone and dialled a number, "Amy, honey…"

Warren rushed out the back of the van with his phone on his ear as he faced the hotel; especially the room that Major Sheppard was it.

"Warren" said Amy excitedly, "you done? Can we do Willow tonight?"

"Hold on" said Warren as he brought his wrist to his mouth and spoke into the microphone on his watch, "Seal."

Warren smiled as he imagined that Major panicking right about now before he spoke again.

"Combustum."

"Amy" said Warren as he grinned and went back to speaking on his phone, "how about we take care of the others tomorrow… and yes, you can have Willow… I want the sister and the girlfriend."

As Warren continued to speak, there was a massive explosion that virtually destroyed Major Sheppard's room. HE then casually got back into the van as people started to scream from the hotel. Getting into the driver's seat, the man could only look at the destruction he caused, and smile.

TBC

 


	10. Chapter 10

**The Summers Residence, 2250 hours.**

Buffy was concerned with the look on Tara's face after she told her that they needed to talk. Buffy was about to call for Dawn and Willow, but Tara asked her to hold off until they had a chance to talk first. Buffy looked at Tara as the blonde gently held on to her arm and remembered that the blonde witch was there when she talked about Spike, what they were doing together, that she felt sick about using him but still doing it nevertheless, and that she was sick that he was taking advantage of her; it was then Buffy realized that Tara would never judge her, and that she would be always there for her.

So when Tara gently asked Buffy not to tell the others since they were dealing with what happened with Anya, that this concerned her status as the Slayer; Buffy just nodded her head and the both of them headed to the kitchen where there was a half box of pizza. The blonde witch took a piece before sitting across from Buffy at the island, and spoke after swallowing a bite she took from the pizza.

"I… I just had my blood drawn" said Tara as Buffy nodded her head, "and/… and I had to tell him about my aura reading abilities… I.. I knew that he was hiding some things so…"

"Any idea what it could be?" asked Buffy, and then nodded her head when Tara shook her head.

"But he.. he told me that they others won't know about us" said Tara, "about you, or Willow and I using magic. And I trust him, I read his aura and I trust him."

"If you say you trust him" said Buffy as she leaned forward and put her hand on top of Tara's hand, "then I'm ok with that. But the truth is that I don't trust his superiors."

"B.. Buffy" said Tara, "John told me that they know about Sunnydale, well.. at least most of it concerning the Initiative."

"Seriously?" asked Buffy as she opened her eyes wide in panic, "Tara, what do they know? I mean.. how?"

"John told me that when they found that the break-in came from Sunnydale" said Tara, "they ran a search of the city. They found some files on the Initiative but… but your name, and any pictures of the Scoobies were gone. All those records were destroyed."

"Good" said Buffy as she breathed a sigh of relief, however there was something still bothering her as she looked up at Tara again, "just now you looked like you had something important to tell me. Tara?"

"John told me that when your name came up… Buffy, he never told them about you… even when they were talking about the Initiative, and Sunnydale… he never said anything about you. Even when the Watchers Council outed you as the Slayer."

"What?" asked Buffy as her eyes went wide. She then got off the seat on the other side of the island after letting go off Tara's hand and paced with her hands on her head. She then looked at Tara and asked her if she was kidding.

"No, Buffy" said Tara, "they didn't have any information on you until the Council let it out. John wasn't going to say anything, but the report stated that a group of civilians helped some of the soldiers escape. Once they found out that you were the Slayer, they figured that you would have been one of the civilians… and the others would be friends."

"Damn it" said Buffy as she put her hands on her waist as Tara put down her second slice of pizza, got off her seat and walked around the island before holding onto the Slayer's shoulders gently.

"The Council told John's superiors that you were off limits" said Tara, "that they couldn't approach you, or recruit you. And from what John told me, they're willing to do that.. but the doctor still wants to have a look at you since you were shot. He wants to make sure that you're alright, I guess his concern as a doctor."

"But still…" said Buffy.

"When they were talking about you, John told me that he tried his best to pretend he didn't know your name, or that you're the Slayer" said Tara, "but then his superiors got notified of the police report on Anya's murder, it was the statement that John gave and… and well, it had our names on the report as well."

"Oh crap" said Buffy when she realized what Tara was saying. The military knew who she was, and that Major Sheppard lied.

"I… I'm sorry" said Tara, "I… I.. knew that… John would get into trouble so… so I told them that he didn't know your real name, that you introduced yourself as Anne."

"It's… it's alright" said Buffy as she looked at the worry on the witch's face for her, and for her brother, "do the others know about you and Willow?"

"No" said Tara, "he… he told them that we don't have any abilities. He… he told me that they wanted to talk to you about what happened at the Initiative since those files were destroyed. I… I… guess they know the basics, but not everything."

"This isn't a good time to even discuss that" said Buffy as she sat on a seat and looked up at the ceiling, "Xander's still out, Willow's with him; and Dawn's asleep, she still blames herself for Anya."

"John told me that they won't be asking you about the Initiative" said Tara as Buffy looked at her in surprise, "they wanted to ask Willow, and Xander but… well, he convinced them to hold off. But they still want to talk to Willow about the break-in."

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Buffy.

"Yes" Tara replied while sitting next to the blonde Slayer, "I know I am, Buffy. I know it's funny, I've known him for just a short amount of time but… but I trust him."

"I'm happy for you" said Buffy as Tara put an arm around her shoulders, "I'm just going to stay-in today, I haven't seen any news about mysterious deaths by barbeque forks, so I'm guessing that there wont be vampires rising tonight and… and I just want to be sure that no one else comes after us tonight."

"We'll be safe" said Tara gently, "but if you want to stay in, then that's fine too… all of us got hit hard. And with Warren in jail, I… I guess that the dangers of the Trio are gone as well."

"Yea" said Buffy as she looked at Tara and smiled, "how about you get some rest? I'll be down here for awhile and watch some TV before heading up."

"I can stay here" said Tara.

"Stay with Willow and Xander" said Buffy gently, "I'll be up soon. Just wanna make sure there's no funny business going on out there."

"Sure" said Tara as she nodded at the blonde Slayer before walking down the hallway, and then vanishing as she walked up the stairs. Buffy just sat alone at the island before she turned around, grabbed a slice of pizza, and walked over to the living room. Sitting on the couch and facing the television, which was turned off, she took a bite into the slice and thought about Anya. She remembered not liking the vengeance demon much, especially since she was a demon; but she'd still be teasing Xander for going out with her. She remembered that Willow, out of all the Scoobies, was even more hostile towards her… mainly because she didn't want to see Xander hurt, and because that childhood love for the dark haired man still existed somewhere. That was somewhat tapered down after Willow and Tara got together, but Willow still acted hostile towards Anya. Eventually, the both of them realized that Anya loved Xander, and they had gotten closer as friends; Willow and Buffy were even Anya's bridesmaids.

'But when Xander left Anya' thought Buffy to herself, 'we didn't give her support. And then what happened with Spike, what he tried to do to me… what he… damn, stop it Summers.. that bastard's gone now and… and he's not going to hurt you like that again.'

Buffy wiped her tears as she put the slice of pizza on the couch as she tried to push Spike's attempted rape of her, and tried to think about Anya. She kept telling herself that she'll deal with Spike later, that now it was supposed to be all about Anya; that the ex-vengeance demon died while protecting her sister. When she thought about that, Buffy teared up even more as she thought about how they had treated Anya.

'We were getting close' thought Buffy to herself as she wiped her eyes while looking at her reflection on the television screen, 'but we pushed her away… sorry Anya, we're so sorry. I'm so sorry.'

**Westown Hotel, Sunnydale, 2300 hours.**

Major Sheppard just parked his rental car in the parking lot of the hotel. He then walked into the lobby, and up the stairs to his room on the third floor of the hotel. Thinking about the day's events, he walked towards his room while thinking about his plans for the next day. He knew that most of the day would be spent with his team at the Army base examining how he was able to do the things he did. However, he would be free in the morning so that he could have breakfast with Tara, and then later in the evening he could spend some time with his sister after all the examinations were done.

'Maybe I'll take a few more days of leave' thought the Major to himself, 'anyway, it's not like I'll be needed that much when the Daedalus arrives with Colonel Caldwell, I sure he'll be the new military leader so… I know that Elizabeth will want me back in Atlantis, but with me not choosing who goes, maybe it's better if I do take more days off.'

The Major then reached his door while still deep in thought. He ran his keycard through the scanner and then opened the door while looking and for anyone; however, he was unable to see the miniature camera that was placed high above the door that was right across his room. Walking inside, he closed the door behind him and headed to the table where he placed his wallet, cell phone, and jacket. It was then that he noticed what seemed like a pen on the table. At first, he didn't think anything about it; he thought that it came with the room.. particularly since he hadn't been into the room before. All he did was book it, get the keys, and then leave with Tara earlier that day.

However, he knew that there was something wrong when a voice came from the pen, a very familiar voice.

"Seal" said the voice that the surprised Major recognized as Warren's while he looked at the pen and then at a golden shimmer that seemed to cover the windows. Looking around surprised, he saw a shimmer going up the main door as he ran towards it. Grabbing onto the door knob, he twisted it but the door couldn't open. He even stepped beck, and imagined pulling the door open using telekinesis; the Major could feel he was pulling the door but it still wasn't budging. He then stopped pulling, and panted when he heard the same voice say another word.

"Combustum" said the voice as the Major looked on as four tiny spheres rose into the air. He looked on as there was a hissing sound before black and red flames erupted from the spheres. He turned around again and tried to pull the door open, but all that happened was that the shimmer around the door lit up in intensity, but the door still didn't budge. He then looked at the spheres again as the red and black flames twisted around the spheres as if they were being held together by a shield of some sort. It was then he covered his nose as he got a whiff of some kind of gas that was filling the room. Coughing, the man covered his nose as the flames within the spheres grew in intensity until the spheres were alternating black and red colours. The Major coughed continuously while picking up his cell phone.

He knew that he didn't have time to call Dr. Weir and tell her the situation, and then have her call the SGC. So he dialled the SGC's number directly, and hoped that the Asgard transporters on the Prometheus were already up and running after their upgrade. He coughed as he got onto his knees as the smell of gas nearly overwhelmed him just as the SGC's side picked up the phone.

"NORAD" said Walter's voice.

"This… this… this is Major…. Jo… John…. Shep… Sheppard"

"Major?" asked Walter while the Major continued to cough, "are you alright? I can transfer you to…"

"Trans… port Pro… Pro…. Prometheus… Code…. Code…. Red. It's…. It's a…"

"Major?" said Walter as he heard a thud on the other line, "Major?"

Guessing that something was very wrong, Walter picked up another phone that connected him directly to the Prometheus. With Colonel Pendergast being debriefed by Home World Security before he retakes command of the ship for her shake-up cruise, it was Colonel Carter who was in charge of the upgrades to the Hyperdrive, the Asgard Beaming technology, and the new sensor arrays. Walter's call went directly to the bridge where the Colonel was checking on the progress of the upgrades. She was ready to restart the Hyperdrive for a power test when Walter's call came in.

"Walter?" asked the Colonel after Major Marks told her about the call from the SGC.

"Colonel Carter" said Walter whose voice came through the speaker, "I just got a call from Major Sheppard. He said it he was in a Code Red situation and asked for a beam out."

"Code Red?" asked the Colonel while she nodded at Major Marks who located the Major.

"Yes, ma'am" said Walter, "he just stopped talking ma'am."

"Major Marks, lock on to Major Sheppard's locator beacon and beam him up to the bridge" said the Colonel as a bright flash of light brought up an unconscious Major Sheppard who was laying on his side as Colonel Carter stood up, as did several of the bridge crew and ran over to him while Walter was still on the line. The Colonel then pressed another button before she called for medical assistance on the bridge. She then ran to on side of the bridge, opened a panel and took out a first aid kit. She then took out the oxygen mask and handed it to Marks who was already next to the man. He then put the mask on the Majors face while the Colonel activated the oxygen supply as medical staff entered the bridge just as the Major opened his eyes sharply and inhaled the fresh oxygen before going onto his back and looking at the people around him.

"Major… Major" said Colonel Carter as the man looked at her, "you're on the Prometheus, you're alright. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Bo… bomb" said the Major as he breathed as mush oxygen as possible, "bom… bomb."

"What?" asked Colonel Carter as her eyes went wide open in surprise while the others looked at her. It was then that a Lieutenant at one of the scanning stations ran up to the Colonel before saying that there was an explosion from where they beamed out Major Sheppard. Knowing that Walter was still on the line, the Major told him to inform General Landry about the bombing in the hotel where the Major was staying. She then looked at the lieutenant and asked her how many were dead. The lieutenant just looked at the Colonel and told her that one entire side of the building collapsed after the initial explosion.

"Our scans found fifteen bodies, ma'am" said the lieutenant as the Major closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Walter" said the Colonel softly, "did you get that?"

"Yes, ma'am" Walter replied as the others in the control room gathered around while General Landry ran down the stairs before tapping on the technician's shoulder, "Colonel, General Landry's here."

"Colonel Carter" said the General, "report."

"Sir" said the Colonel as the medical staff was checking Major Sheppard for injuries, "Major Sheppard was unconscious when he was beamed in. We gave him some oxygen, and he regained consciousness. The medical staff is taking him to the infirmary now, but he seems to be a bit dazed. He mentioned a bomb when he regained consciousness, and… sir… we just ran a scan of where we beamed him up from and… and one side of the building collapsed, scanners say that fifteen people lost their lives, sir."

"I'll contact Home Word" said the General shaking his head, "this was an attack on SGC personnel; we could be looking at the Goa'uld, or a rogue faction of the NID. Until we find out what's happening, I'll be getting SG-3 and SG-4 geared up. I want them beamed to the Prometheus, and then to Sunnydale where they will be protecting Dr. Weir and the others. I know they're in an Army base, but with this attack…"

"I understand, sir" said the Colonel, "and the Major?"

"I'll inform, Dr. Weir" said the General, "in the meantime, I want the Prometheus to conduct scans of the area. I want to know if any signals were sent, whether it be Goa'uld or Human, that would detonate the bomb."

"We'll know more once he's regained full consciousness, sir" said the Colonel, "in the meantime, we'll run a scan. But the media coverage on this is going to cause some panic, sir."

"Ummm…. ma'am?" said another lieutenant who was at another sensor console as the Colonel turned to look at him, "multiple witnesses just uploaded cell phone video's of the explosion, and the aftermath, online."

"General?" asked Colonel Carter, "did you get that, sir?"

"Yes" said the General as he rubbed his forehead, "find out what caused the explosion Colonel, and then once the Major is conscious, ask him what happened. I'll notify Dr. Weir."

"Understood, sir" said the Colonel, "Carter out."

**The Summers Residence, 2306 hours.**

Buffy was still rubbing her eyes while she was skipping through channels after she turned on the television. She was still thinking about Anya as she skipped one channel to another. She thought about the shows that Anya used to make them watch when she suddenly stopped at a channel that showed the Sunnydale Police Department, and a giant hole on the second floor as the reporter was speaking on camera.

She looked at the news report as she leaned forward while she pushed back all thoughts of Anya, and Spike and listened intently. Buffy knew that the report was earlier in the day since it was still daylight on the video with the reporter was saying that a gas explosion caused the deaths of three prisoners, as well as two police officers. The reporter then mention the names of the Trio as Buffy listened with her eyes narrowed at the screen. It was then that the scene on screen changed to night on a shaky video of a collapsed building. Buffy stood up stunned as she walked towards the TV when the reporter said that the video was one of several video of an explosion that place minutes ago at the Westown Hotel.

"Westown Hotel" said Buffy softly, "that's where… Oh God."

Buffy then ran up the stairs and rushed into Willow and Tara's room where the both of them were sitting on the bed talking to each other while Willow placed her hand on Xander's shoulder.

"Tara" said Buffy as the two witches looked at the blonde, "you told me that your brother's staying at the Westown Hotel?"

"Yea" said Tara as she noticed something wrong with Buffy's aura, that she was terrified about something, "Buffy? What's wrong?"

"Do you have your brother's number?" asked Buffy trying her best to keep cool as Xander stirred.

"Ye.. yea" said Tara as she got off the bed and took out his phone number that she wrote on a piece of paper, "I haven't been able to put in my address book but…"

"Call him" said Buffy, "call him now."

"Buffy?" asked Tara, "what's…."

"Call him, please" said Buffy as she ran out of the room and down the stairs.

Willow and Tara looked at each other before the blonde witch followed Buffy down the stairs where she was looking at the television while biting her finger nails. Tara, followed soon by Willow, looked at the screen as another shaky video zoomed in on smoking rubble while the reporter was saying that they had no information on how many people died, only that one side of the hotel collapsed after the explosion. Once the reporter talked about the explosion, there was another video that someone had taken of an explosion from one of the rooms seconds before the collapse. The three women watched horrified as people screamed before the side collapsed.

"Jo.. John.." said Tara as she rushed to the phone and dialled the number that Major Sheppard gave her.

Buffy and Willow walked over to Tara who turned around with the phone to her ear while her hand was over her mouth and tears in her eyes. She continued to call the Major, but every time she did, Tara would shake her head and try again. It was after a few tries that she dropped the phone onto the floor and looked at Willow, and then at Buffy.

"It.. it's going directly to voicemail… I…"

"We don't know anything yet, baby" said Willow as she hugged Tara who started crying on her shoulder, "he could be alive, Tara."

Buffy could only look on at Tara crying, and then at the television.

'To many deaths in one day' thought Buffy to herself as she heard Tara crying on Willow's shoulder, 'Anya died, The Trio's gone, and now Tara's brother could be dead. With what Tara told me about what John and his people knew… I wouldn't be surprised if the Council had a hand in this. They're capable of anything… I.. I need to talk to Giles when he gets back. That's the only people who could do this…. It has to be the Council. It just has to be.'

TBC.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Sunnydale Army Base, 2305 hours.**

Back in one of the hangers at the Army base, Dr. Beckett started running tests on Major Sheppard and Tara's blood, while McKay was still setting up equipment that would measure the Major's vitals. In the meantime, Dr. Weir, Daniel and Major Davis were on one side of the hanger talking about Buffy, and the Major's abilities. They were prepared to go to their hotel in one hour, which was about the amount of time that McKay said he'd need to finishing setting up his equipment. However, all of their plans changed with the three of them receiving a message at the same time.

Confused, Dr. Weir, Daniel and Major Davis took out their cell phones and saw a message that just said '911'. Looking at each other, Major Davis immediately called Home World Security while Dr. Weir called the SGC as Daniel walked over to McKay and told him that something just happened, and he needed a line to the Prometheus.

"What happened?" asked the scientist as he pressed a few buttons, glad that he made the initial connection to Prometheus so that he could use her scanners, as the screen in front of them activated. Daniel, McKay and Dr. Beckett then turned around and looked at both Dr. Weir and Major Davis when the both of them exclaimed, "WHAT?"

It was just then that a connection to the Prometheus was made and the screen showed the inside of the bridge as personnel were running all over the place while Colonel Carter was shouting instructions to the crew before turning to look at Daniel, Dr. Beckett and McKay while Dr. Weir and the Major were walking towards them with their cell phones glued to their ears.

"Sam?" asked Daniel as Colonel Carter turned to him and shook her head, "what's going on, we just got a message that something bad happened."

"There was a bombing in Sunnydale" said the Colonel, "Westown Hotel. As far as we know, fifteen people are dead."

"Hold on" said McKay as he looked at the Colonel with eyes wide opened, "that's the hotel that we were going to be staying in, the same one that Major Sheppard…."

"Colonel" said Dr. Beckett as Dr. Weir and Major Davis put down their phones, "is Major Sheppard alright?"

"He's alive" said Dr. Weir as everyone turned towards her while the Colonel nodded, "I just spoke with General Landry. He thinks that this could have been an attack carried out by the Goa'uld, or any of the rogue NID operatives that are still out there."

"That's a possibility" said Major Davis, "General O'Neill agrees with General Landry that this could be an attack on Major Sheppard, meaning the entire expedition is a target. He was going to send in two SG-teams, but instead he gave the order for us to leave. We have two hours and…"

"What about the Major's sister?" asked Daniel as Colonel Carter looked on surprised.

"Hold on, he has a sister?" asked the Colonel as the others nodded their heads.

"Let's say that the Major was being watched" said Daniel, "then won't it make sense that they could have seen him talking to Tara, could she be in danger as well?"

"Colonel Carter" said Dr. Weir, "is Major Sheppard still awake? General Landry told me that…."

Dr. Weir stopped talking when the Colonel put her hand up while leaning in to listen to a crewmember who was whispering something into her ear. The group saw the Colonel look at the crewmember and nodded her head before looking at the group at the Army base again and apologizing for the interruptions.

"Dr. Weir" said the Colonel, "Major Sheppard's conscious.. and, well….. he wants to speak to you."

"Colonel" said Dr. Weir, "please beam me up to the Prometheus."

Colonel Carter nodded her head just as a bright flash of white light surrounded her, and she found herself on the bridge of the Prometheus being welcomed by Colonel Carter. In the meantime, back in the Army base, a soldier ran into the hanger before making his way to Major Davis and whispering into his ear.

"Major Sheppard's sister just called" said the Major as he looked at the others in front of him and at Colonel Carter and Dr, Weir, "she, and her friends, saw the aftermath of the bombing on the news."

"Tell her we're trying to find out what happened" said Dr. Weir, "we'll let her know once we've found out anything about the Major. IN the meantime, since John is talking.. I'll ask him what happened."

"Lie to her, Elizabeth?" asked Daniel.

"Until we find out exactly what happened?" asked the dark haired woman, "yes. I don't like this at all, but if it's the Goa'uld or the NID, then we may have to keep his being alive hidden until we know who was responsible for this. If they're watching her as well, which we can assume, then they'll want her as a bargaining chip for whatever they have planned."

"They targeted someone from the expedition" said Major Davis while McKay and Dr. Beckett looked at him, "if they can get at him, then they can get at his sister."

"Major" said Dr. Weir at the Air Force officer in the hanger, "tell Tara that we're not sure what happened, and that we just heard about it and we've sent someone out to work with the local police. Once Major Sheppard tells us what happened, then we can talk to her. Tell her that we know about the same as her, and that we'll keep her in the loop on anything that develops."

"Understood" said the Major as the screen on the Prometheus bridge turned off and Dr. Weir looked at Colonel Carter.

"Could you take me to the Major, Colonel Carter?"

"Of course, this way" said the Colonel as Dr. Weir followed the blonde officer towards the infirmary.

**Infirmary, Prometheus Battle Cruiser, 2310 hours.**

Major Sheppard was pushing against the nurse who was urging him to lie down. The Major spoke through his oxygen mask as he looked at the nurse, and then at the doctor who was walking over to him while telling them that he was feeling clear headed now, especially since they placed the oxygen mask on him.

"That may be so, Major" said the doctor, "but I would like to keep you over here for observation, you inhaled something that caused you to pass out and I'd like to know if it has had any other effects on you."

"Doc" said the Major, "I'm alright, I swear. I just need to tell Colonel Carter what happened, and then I need to get beamed down to the Sunnydale Army Base. If anything does happen to me, then Dr. Beckett can take a look at me.. after all he's been my doctor for nearly a year now."

"I understand that" said the doctor while the nurse looked on, "but…"

"Doctor, Major Sheppard" said Colonel Carter as she walked into the infirmary with Dr. Weir while the doctor just put his hands into his pockets and just sighed. He then turned around and nodded to the approaching blonde female officer who introduced him to Dr. Weir.

"He's been giving me a headache, Colonel" said the Doctor as he smirked and nodded his head towards the Major.

"He does that, doctor" said Dr. Weir as Colonel Carter smiled.

"Colonel Carter, Dr. Weir" said the Major as he took the oxygen mask off his face, "what happened after I was beamed up?

"Major" said the Colonel as she looked at Dr. Weir, and then at Major Sheppard, "I don't know how to say this but one entire side of the hotel collapsed."

'What?" asked a shocked Major, "how many deaths?"

"Fifteen" said the Colonel as the doctor and Dr. Weir shook their heads, "based on what we know, we believe it was the Goa'uld or the NID, and…."

"No, ma'am" said the Major shaking his head, "it wasn't them."

"How can you be sure?" asked the Colonel and Dr. Weir together.

"Umm…" said Major Sheppard as he looked at the doctor, nurse, and then at Dr. Weir and Colonel Carter, "I think it would be better if we spoke privately? Or with Dr. Jackson, and the others?"

"Doctor?" asked the Colonel as he looked at the man who was frowning at Major Sheppard, before looking at Colonel Carter; certain about what she was going to ask him, "is he stable enough to be beamed down to the surface. We'll make sure that he continues to get oxygen to clear his head."

"Fine" said the doctor, "but he needs to rest for a few days, and if he has any dizzy spells.. then I want him to see Dr. Beckett immediately. Major? Is that understood?"

"Crystal clear, doc" said Major Sheppard as he took the mask off his face and placed it next to him on the bed. The Major then hopped off the bed and stood up while nodding at the doctor that he really was feeling better now that his mind was clear. All the doctor could do was shake his head before the Colonel told the bridge to beam her, Dr. Weir, and Major Sheppard back to the Sunnydale Army Base.

**Sunnydale Army Base, 2317 hours.**

It wasn't too long before Daniel, Major Davis and the others saw three bright lights beam down Colonel Carter, Dr. Weir, and Major Sheppard. It was Dr. Beckett who made the first move towards the unsteady Major as he brought the man back to the bed while Dr. Weir frowned at the man. Upon seeing the frown, Major Sheppard managed a small smile before telling them that he was alright.

"What happened?" asked McKay, "we just got the feeds from the local news, it looks like a warzone out there."

McKay then noticed Colonel Carter, smiled, and then stood next to her before whispering.

"Hey Sam"

"Rodney"

"Major" said the Colonel as she frowned at McKay before looking at the Major again, "General Landry thinks that this could be a Goa'uld attack, or carried out by the rogue NID and…"

"It wasn't them" said the Major as he looked at the Colonel who nodded her head signalling him to continue, "look, when I got into my room.. I noticed a pen on eh table. I thought it was there from when I got the room… I was with my sister then and I didn't really check the room. Anyway, when I closed the door, and walked towards the table I heard a voice coming from the pen."

"A voice?" asked McKay, "so this is a magical pen then?"

"McKay" said the Major, "I'm being serious here."

"Magic?" asked the Colonel with an eyebrow raised as she looked at the Major, and then at the others, "guys? This is a joke, right?"

"That's what I said" replied McKay, "see we agree on something."

"Oh great" mumbled the Colonel as McKay grinned at Dr. Beckett who shook his head, "Major, I…"

"Hear me out" said the Major, "I think the pen wasn't magic, I…. I don't know what happened but a voice came from the pen. It could have been a speaker or something but the voice was familiar. It was the same voice of the guy who killed Tara's friend today."

"Sam" said Daniel as he nodded his head to one side, "I'll fill you in."

"Yeah… sure" said a confused Colonel Carter as she walked over to Daniel who took her to one side and started to explain some things while the Major continued.

"But wasn't that guy put into jail?" asked Dr. Weir as the Major shrugged his shoulders.

"I recognized the voice, Elizabeth" said the Major, "he said seal… and…"

"Seal?" asked McKay as he rolled his eyes, "and let me guess, a magic activated that… what…. Prevented you from leaving? You know.. sealed all the doors and windows?"

"Dr. McKay" said Major Davis, "maybe…"

"He's right" said Major Sheppard as everyone looked at him surprised, "something covered the door and the windows, and then he said another word…. Umm…. Combusto… combustumo…."

"Combustum?" asked Dr. Weir as the Major pointed at her and nodded his head. It was at that point that Daniel walked back to the group with a surprised Colonel Carter in time to hear the word from Major Sheppard and Dr. Weir.

"That's latin" said Dr. Weir before confirming with Daniel who nodded his head, "meaning to combust."

"I tried to use these… abilities… whatever they are and…."

"Major" said Colonel Carter, "do you mind if you... you know…"

"Right" said Major Sheppard as he looked at the clipboard that Dr. Becket was holding and made it come to him using his telekinesis.

"Amazing" said the Colonel as McKay rolled his eyes upwards before he rushed to another , "any idea why?"

"Not yet" said Dr. Beckett, "we were going to run him through some tests tomorrow, but now…."

"It's still going on" said the Major, "look, he was in my room… he hid some spheres the size of a ping-pong ball on four corners of my room…. At least that's what I'm guessing since after he said that combusto or something… the spheres rose up and that's when the weird started. I saw black and red flames erupt from the spheres and it was being held back by some kind of a shield."

"A shield?" asked the Colonel, "are you sure?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, ma'am" said Major Sheppard as he looked at the Colonel, "I don't know if the guy found some alien tech, or if he used… you know… magic? But I do know that while the shield was holding back the flames, the room started to smell like some sort of gas was being pumped in. I tried to telekinetically open the door, but nothing happened. The door wouldn't budge. That's when I called the SGC to have the Prometheus beam me out.. and then I lost consciousness."

"And then the place exploded" said Dr. Weir shaking her head as McKay came running to them while carrying his laptop.

"When you said that the Warren guy was taken to the police department" said McKay as he pressed some keys on the computer and then turned it around so that the others could see what was on the screen, "I thought I'd check out the.. I mean.. it's not that I don't think you're right, Major but…."

"What did you find out?" asked Daniel as he stood next to Colonel Carter.

"There was an explosion at the police station earlier today" said McKay as he showed them the picture that was put on the local Sunnydale newspaper's online edition, "the report said that three prisoners, and two police officers died. The prisoners were named Warren Mears, and….."

"That's the name of the guy who killed your sister's friend" said Major Davis.

"What if he has a twin?" asked the Major as he looked at everyone's looks towards him, "look I cannot forget that voice. It was him, or his twin. Look, I heard Buffy tell her friend…. The same one who broke into my file… that someone named Warren shot her. Then I healed her, so he failed. Then the same guy shot and killed one of their friends, and was about to kill Buffy's younger sister when I stopped him.. and then got him arrested. I wouldn't know how that explosion was caused but what if… what if this Warren guy has a twin and.. and he saw me prevent his brother from killing? I mean it seems to me that Warren and his brother has it in for them, and since I prevented two deaths.. maybe they see me as a threat?"

"Well" said Colonel Carter, "it's possible."

"Major Davis?" said Dr. Weir, "is there any way to find out what caused the explosion in the police station?"

"And maybe it could be better to examine the ruins of the hotel for any alien technology" said McKay.

"I'll beam back up to the Prometheus and use her sensors to check the site" said Colonel Carter, "if there's any technological remains of those explosive devices… then we can beam it up and run tests."

"And if this really is Warren's twin trying to kill Tara and her friends?" asked the Major, "he told me that he has plans for all of them.. bad plans. As in killing them. I don't know the guy.. but to me… he was obsessed. I mean he tried to kill them… he succeeded in killing one of them. He would have killed the sister… and then Buffy's other friends. I mean… who knows, maybe this guy's been watching them like some kind of a supernatural fan stalker or something.. he was nuts."

"Well" said Dr. Weir, "there is one thing we could do to confirm your theory, but I don't think that you're going to like it at all."

TBC

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Sunnydale Army Base, 2330 hours.**

Major Sheppard was looking at Dr. Weir who had just told him that she had an idea in her head, but that he wasn't going to like it at all.

"O…K?" asked Major Sheppard confused, "what's the idea?"

"If… if it's a big if… this Warren Mears' plan has always been to go after your sister and her friends" said Dr. Weir, "and if he died and his twin is taking over from him, then we inform them that you died. If he's really watching them, then he'll know… and hopefully he'll make a move early. In the meantime, the Prometheus can run scans using the Asgard sensors on a two mile radius around Miss Summers' house, and we can use a recent picture of Mr. Mears', or his twin, to use in detecting him using the sensors if he enters the net. There'll also be personnel positioned outside the house. If he comes close, we'll find him. And if he sees you as a threat, then having you out of the way probably would bring him out of the woodwork."

"Major?" asked Major Davis as he looked at the other man, "it sounds like a decent plan. We'll be close by if he does make his move."

Major Sheppard knew that Tara would be able to see through the lie when they make the notification in person, he just hoped that she would understand the need for this lie; so that they could get Warren before he tries to harm them again. The Major wanted to protect Tara's secret for as long as he could; it wasn't that he didn't trust his team… he felt that they had been through a lot recently, and that they needed a break from scrutiny.

'I'll let her tell them if she wants to' thought the Major to himself before he came up with an idea.

"How about we first tell Tara that you haven't been able to find me yet?" said the Major, hoping tat Tara would understand the need for what they are trying to do, "in the meantime, do we even know if this guy has a twin? I mean… just want to be sure, you know. With all this magic hoodoo out there… I mean…"

"Yeah" said Major Davis as he took out his phone, "I can have Home World run a check on the guy."

"Here's a thought" said Daniel who had his arms crossed over his chest, "what if this really is magic?"

"Come on" said McKay.

"Just listen" said Daniel, "Major Sheppard said that the voice said 'Seal, and then 'Combustum'; then everything sealed up, and the bomb exploded. What if…."

"Voice activated shielding technology" said McKay, "which I have no doubt this guy managed to get his hand on some alien technology, somehow reverse engineered it and broke into the Major's room, and set some kind of arrays. And the bombs? It's simple… incendiary devices within a small shield."

"Really?" said Major Sheppard with an eyebrow raised at the scientist, "seriously? You believe in something as ridiculous as a random guy somehow getting their hands on alien technology, than magic?"

"How about this" said McKay with a smirk on his face, "if you can prove that there is magic at play, then I will publically say that I'm not the greatest scientist that ever lived."

"Oh, sounds serious" said Daniel sarcastically as Major Davis walked towards them confused while he put his phone back into his pocket.

"I just talked to Home World" said Major Davis as he stood next to Daniel and looked at everyone, "according to records, Warren Mears doesn't have any siblings."

"Huh?" asked Major Sheppard, "I know what I heard. It was his voice."

"Ok" said Dr. Weir as she put her hands up, "let's say that it was him that was talking through the microphone, Rodney just showed us the report about him dying in the explosion at the police station."

"I don't know what to tell you" said the Major as he looked at Dr. Weir, and then at Major Davis, "but I'm telling you it was him. Look, he's… whoever he is, tried to go after Tara's friends. I'd probably recommend asking them about him and…."

The computer at one section of the hanger started to beep before Colonel Carter's face came up on the screen. Everyone turned to the screen as the Colonel told them that the Prometheus used its Asgard sensors to examine the hotel site, but there were able to find anything that would show that an explosive device was used.

"But then you have the proof on the news" said Major Davis as the Colonel nodded her head before frowning.

"Whatever was used left no trace" said the Colonel, "the sensors we have are the latest upgrades from the Asgard, but we got nothing. No fragments from the bombs, no signs of an accelerant or even trace amounts of any chemicals that would cause that type of explosion on the debris. We'll keep on looking but…."

"Major" said Dr. Weir, "Major Sheppard said that he heard a voice from this Warren Mears person. At first we thought that a twin may be involved since he heard this person's voice in his room from the speaker. However, we just found out that he died in an explosion at the Sunnydale Police Department earlier today."

"Really?" asked the confused officer while McKay lifted up his laptop from a table and showed the headline, and then the report to Colonel Carter.

"Can you run a scan on the Police Station?" asked Dr. Weir, "if this Warren was killed there, there should be some evidence that he died."

"I'll run a scan" said the Colonel as she looked to her left and pointed at Major Marks. It was then that the screen she was on split into two halves; one half showing the Colonel's face and the other half of the screen showing scans of the police station as the image zoomed in. They saw the image of the station, with one side of it blown away as the scanners changed to show the compositions of various elements in the exploded cell.

"Colonel" said Dr. Becket as he looked at the screen while standing next to McKay while pointing at two outlines in the inside part of the cell, away from the section that had the gaping hole out to the street, "are those two bodies?"

"Were" said the Colonel as the scans created a wireframe mesh on the faint outline of two torso's against the wall, "were two bodies. We can't find the third, but we've got some interesting stuff from our scans. Explosive residue, machine oil, some…. Synthetic lubricants? This is strange."

"Organic pieces" said Dr. Becket as he pointed at a few points on the screen at the image of the police station cell where Warren, Jonathan and Andrew used to be.

"Mechanical pieces buried in the wall" said McKay as he walked up to the screen and stood by Dr. Beckett while pointed at the screen, "a bomb?"

"There should be flesh" said Major Davis, "or at least some small remains of bone, or body fluids, or…."

"Colonel" said Dr. Beckett as he looked at the blonde officer, "is there any way those scanners can give you an idea on the DNA profiles of any organic materials within the jail cell?"

"Ummmm…. Hold on" said the Colonel as she looked to one side while Dr. Beckett asked the Major to call and find out what is Warren's blood type. While the Major called Home World Security, the Colonel told Dr. Beckett that the sensors should be sensitive enough to just take a guess. But a test would have to be done in the lab, the problem being that this was out of their jurisdiction since they didn't have solid proof that Warren was alive.

"Sorry, Major" said Colonel Carter as she looked at Major Sheppard, "without any proof to take to the authorities… it's your word against… well, a dead man."

"Understood, ma'am" said the Major as another window popped up on the screen that showed only two DNA profiles.

"We have only two profiles down there" said the Colonel before turning to her right side and asking someone off-screen to run the scan again. Everyone waited before the Colonel turned back to the screen and told everyone that there were only the two DNA profiles.

"And the report said that there were supposed to be three inside that cell" said Major Sheppard.

"Let's operate on the assumption that maybe… just maybe Warren escaped custody somehow" said Daniel before he turned to McKay who was opening his mouth to speak and interrupted the scientist, "I said 'maybe' and 'somehow'."

"How about we call Tara and let her know that we're still looking for my body" said Major Sheppard, "and in the meantime, I want to be with the team that's going to be watching the house."

"John" said Dr. Weir, "you're still…"

"I'm fine, Elizabeth" said the Major, "I don't think this guy will be making a move, at least not tonight. If it really was Warren, then he knows he just took out an Air Force officer. He'll probably want to celebrate taking out an obstacle in his way."

"Do we know his home address?" asked Daniel.

"Yes" said Colonel Carter who was still on-screen, "General O'Neill sent me his file. Interesting guy, expert in robotics and Engineering. He had a chance to go to MIT, Caltech… name it, but he dropped out and came back here to stay with his parents in Sunnydale. We've already scanned the house, but found no heat signatures. I'll continue a scan on Major Sheppard's sister's house, and Mr. Mears' residence."

"In the meantime" said Dr. Weir as she headed to a phone, "I have a call I need to make."

Just as Dr. Weir was about to make a call, the Major shook his head; calling her back. He told them that the best thing to do was to forget the majority of their plans since, if magic was really involved, they have no experience in the supernatural.

"But…. look, I'd really like for her to be given the choice to help us" said the Major as he looked at Dr. Weir, and then at Colonel Carter who was looking back at him through the screen from the Prometheus, "I'm not saying we telling her anything about the Stargate, Atlantis, or what not. We just tell her that we suspect magic's involved, and that Warren… somehow… tried to take me out.'

"She?" asked Daniel.

"Will whoever this is be an asset?" asked the Major, "I mean she'll be given the chance to help us, and…. I mean if she's a potential asset for the SGC, she can be put under the protection of Home World. She can consult if we encounter more of these magic… things on Earth. But.. wait.. who are you talking about?"

"Tara" said the Major, "look, I promised her I won't tell you guys this, but.. she knows about all this magic stuff. I say we bring her in, talk to her about Warren.. without revealing how I escaped… well how I really escaped."

"You could tell her you used your telekinesis to pull the door open before running out of the room" said Daniel.

"True" said Major Sheppard, "as far as anyone knows, I decided to go out for a drive after dropping Tara off at her house. But we still keep up the charade that I'm dead when we tell Tara and the others."

"Agreed" replied Major Davis and the others.

**The Summers Residence, 0000 hours.**

Tara was seated on the couch with Buffy on her left side, and Willow on her right holding her hand tightly as they watched the news. Tara watched with worry in her heart as the reporter was looking at the camera, and then back over her shoulder at the destruction, and then back at the camera again while talking about two acts of terrorism in one day, and what the police were going to do about it.

"Tara?" said Willow as she leaned in while Buffy just looked at the blonde who was staring at the television, "the base said that they'll give you a call. And.. and I think they will with whatever news they can find."

"The reporter hasn't said anything yet, Tara" said Buffy as she put her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

It was then that they heard a car stop at the drive way; looking at each other... Tara swallowed the lump in her throat and flinched as the door of a car close before they could hear the footsteps coming up the porch followed by a knock on the door.

"I'll be right here with you Tara" said Willow as she, Tara, and Buffy walked over to the door. Tara nodded her head before taking a deep breath as she reached out for the door knob and t hen opened it to reveal a very sombre faced Dr. Weir, and Major Davis who took off his Air Force cap and nodded at the blonde witch. The both of them were in disbelief that the woman before them was knowledgeable in magic, but they trusted Major Sheppard's opinion that Tara would be able to help them.

"Elizabeth" said the Major a few minutes before she and Major Davis were to leave for Buffy's house while taking her to one side, "listen, I need you to know something."

"Ok?"

"Tara knows when someone is lying" said the Major while Dr. Weir crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him, "I told her the cover story but she didn't believe it, but then again... she didn't ask for any details on what I do... what anyone of us does. I told her that we have secrets that need to be kept, and she understands that."

"So she can see through the lie?"

"Yes" whispered the Major, "but I know she won't tell anyone else, not for a reason as catching Warren... it's too important. Maybe we don't tell Major Davis yet, we'll hold off until you guys get back."

"You want the notification from him to be as genuine as possible" said Dr. Weir as the Major nodded his head, "alright."

Back in the Summers residence, Tara looked at Major Davis as he told her that the police found Major Sheppard's body; and that the only reason that they hadn't released his name was because the Air Force wanted to notify Tara, and his family, first. Buffy and Willow held on to the shocked Tara as they tried to tell her that everything was going to be alright, however Tara wasn't in shock about hearing the death of a brother that she just found she had.

In fact, she was stunned by the lie that the Major was telling them.

Tara then looked at Dr. Weir as she told Tara that they were going to conduct an autopsy on the base, and that she thought Tara would like to be there before his body was sent to Peterson Air Force base.

Tara knew that Dr. Weir was lying too, but there was something else in her aura.

'It's calm" thought the blonde witch to herself.

"Tara" said Willow as the blonde witch looked at her girlfriend, "I'll go with you, just let me put a jacket on and.."

"Willow" said Tara with tears on her eyes as she noticed the look on Dr. Weir's face on the possibility of Willow coming along, "I... I think you and.. and Buffy should stay here with Dawn and Xander. I... I just want to say goodbye on... on my.. my..."

"Alright" said Willow gently as she rubbed Tara's upper back, "you go and say goodbye, we'll be here."

**Sunnydale Army Base, 0040 hours.**

Tara sat in the back seat of the SUV that was almost at the Sunnydale Army base. The ride itself was quiet as Tara looked out of the window wondering why the two of them were lying to her. The only reason she could think of was that her brother was really alive, but she had seen the collapsed building. She knew t hat there was no way for anyone to be escape that destruction alive.

'Unless' thought Tara to herself, 'he's not dead. Then why... why... Why wouldn't they tell us that John was alive? What's going on?'

Tara would eventually find out what really happened after she got out of the SUV and was led to the hanger she had visited earlier. As she was led through the door into the hanger, she saw Major Sheppard with his back to her as he talked to a blonde woman on a television screen.

"John?" asked Tara with both tears and a wide smile as the man turned around, walked towards the blonde witch who gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry if I worried you" said the Major as he whispered into the blonde's ear, "but something happened."

Tara nodded her head before she looked over the Major's shoulder as the blonde woman on the screen told her brother that she would get back to him later. The Major nodded his head before turning back to look at Tara and told her to take a seat. Tara noticed that Major Sheppard was nervous while he sat down next to him while Major Davis and Dr. Weir were in one corner talking to Daniel. Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard agreed that he should be the one to inform Tara that they needed to tell them everything she knew about magic.

Back in the hanger, Tara looked surprised at the Major as he told her that they needed her help… and that he told Dr. Weir that she knew a lot about magic.

"I'm sorry" said the Major as she looked at Tara, "but this is extremely important, and honestly…. If this really is magic, then we are totally out of our depth. I haven't told them that you're a witch, or that you actually practice magic… just that you know a lot of things about magic."

"Bu.. but they can.. can guess" said Tara nervously as she looked at the medical equipment all around them.

"I swear to you that no one here is going to be doing anything without your say so" said the Major, "so no tests, well… other than that blood test; but there will be no experimenting on you or any of the others. I can promise you that."

Tara looked at the Major and gave him a small smile and nodded her head. She watched the man call Major Davis, Dr. Weir, Daniel, and McKay over while Dr. Beckett was hunched over some equipment going through data that was sent by the Prometheus on the scans taken from the police station.

"I… I… guess that John told you I've got knowledge about… you know… umm…. Magic?"

"Not me" said Daniel and Major Davis together, while McKay could only rub his forehead in disbelief.

"Major Sheppard did tell me about Tara being able to see aura's, and he knowledge about magic before we left to pick her up from Miss Summers house" said Dr. Weir as everyone looked at her, "we needed to make the notification seem genuine coming from us, and we needed to have the reactions of everyone in the house real as well in case they were being watched."

"Hold on" said Daniel, "this is amazing, you can see aura's?"

"Ye.. yes" said Tara nodding her head as she looked at the man, "I… I can see how excited you are and…"

"Tara" said McKay, "no offence but even I can see he's excited."

"Bu… but.. I can see something else" she said while looking at Daniel, "behind his aura, there… there's some.. something else…. I see pure white. I… I've never seen that before but… but it's there."

At that Major Davis and Daniel looked at each other surprised before they looked at Tara again and asked if she was sure.

"Ye.. yes" said Tara nervously as she looked at the surprised looks on everyone, "did… did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Ummm…" said Daniel, "that.. well, that's something I didn't expect. And…."

"So" said Major Davis, "you know if we're lying to you?"

"Ye.. yes" said Tara, "but John… John said that what he, and what all of you do is classified and that there are things that.. that he can't tell me. So… So.. I understand the lie.. I mean.. I can see that there are half truths too and…. yeah… I'll stop talking."

Daniel just looked back at everyone in amazement that Tara could actually make out that he was once an ascended being. He then looked at McKay and raised his eyebrows, wanting to ask the scientists on how Tara could have seen a white light around him without knowing that he was once with the 'glowy club' as General O'Neill liked to put it.

McKay just frowned before turning back to Tara and asked he if there was any explanations for her aura reading.

"It… it just happens" said Tara, "sometimes I have control over it, and sometimes I don't."

"Maybe we can talk about all this later?" asked Major Sheppard, "I think we have bigger problems?"

"How… how did you escape?" asked Tara as she looked at the Major.

"Tara" said Dr. Weir, "what can you tell us about Warren Mears?"

"Warren?" asked Tara as her face now showed concern, "why… why do you want to know? I.. I mean… I saw the report on the news about the explosion at the Police Station. It said that Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew were killed. Along with two police officers."

"Tara" said the Major, "when I went back to my hotel room after dropping you off, I heard Warren's voice coming though a speaker in my room. He said 'seal' which caused the main door and windows to be covered in some kind on a shield, and then he said….. I can never remember.. oh right, he said 'Combustum' and these ping pong ball shape things rose up into the air before releasing black, and red flames contained inside a shield and…"

"Black and red?' asked Tara as her eyes opened wide while pushing Warren to the back of her mind for now, "John, are you sure they were black and red?"

"Yes" said John.

"Did it release some kind of a gas?" asked Tara as she looked at the Major, and then at the others before looking at the Major again, "John?"

"Yea" he said, "I used my telekinesis to rip open the door and the shield before I could pass out, and ran the hell out of there. I got out just as there was an explosion in my room…. It.. it must have caused secondary explosions that brought one side of the building down."

Tara knew that what the Major said was partly true; particularly about the field and the spell. Everything else was a lie, Tara now knew why the explosion was caused and she knew that the field was there to prevent anything from leaving the room. Now it made her more curious to know how he managed to get out of there and back to the base. But she knew that could wait; Tara knew that given time, the Major would tell her what was going on.

"What.. what happened to you was that someone… someone used hellfire to try and kill you" said Tara as she looked at the surprised looks of everyone around her, "I… I know it's unbelievable but… but.. the black and red flames, the gas… it burns for a few seconds while releasing a gas.. and then it burns hot and fast, leaving no.. no trace of anybody.. or… I.. I mean if the gas was collecting in one room… the fire would grow in intensity…."

"The field around the ping-pong balls?" asked Daniel as Tara nodded her head.

"When the fields failed, the room was already full of gas and.. and well there was a massive explosion." Said Tara before looking at Major Sheppard, "I.. I'm glad you got out, John."

"Tara, what can you tell us about Warren?" asked Major Davis, "please, don't leave anything out.. I mean, are you aware if he has any twins that no one knows about.. or…."

"I… I don't really know him that well" said Tara, "but… but I know he and his friends have been trying to torture Buffy, I mean.. trying to get rid of her.. making her go insane."

"What do you mean?" asked Dr. Weir.

Tara told them about the time the Trio tried to frame Buffy for murder, however it was later that they found out it was actually Warren who did the act; murdering his own ex-girlfriend. She also told the group about the time Warren placed something on Buffy so that time would be going so fast that she would lose minutes in just a few seconds. She told the surprised people who were looking back at her about when they sent demons after her at a construction site, or when she was put into a never-ending time loop.

"Really?" asked McKay.

"I.. I know you're excited about the time… thing… device" said Tara shaking her head, "but… but Buffy was nearly killed after she was run over by people speeding all around her while she went for shelter. She.. she was on campus.. and.. and classes had just gone out so… there were crowds of people when it happened the first time. It was yesterday that Buffy was nearly killed trying to prevent Warren, who somehow got super strength, and the others from stealing an armoured car that contained millions of dollars. Buffy beat him though and… and that's why he shot Buffy."

"And this Watchers Council never sent back-up?" asked Major Davis as Tara shook her head. Tara knew that Buffy wasn't working for the Council anymore, but she decided that that particular information would be best coming from Buffy herself.

"Ok" said Daniel, "so he's a murderer, and a common criminal. Tara, is there anything else… I mean… no matter how unbelievable."

"He…. He's really good with robotics" said Tara as she told them about April, the lifelike robot he created which was programmed to love and obey him. She told the surprised group that he got bored of the robot, and returned to Sunnydale. April having coming after him, while asking nearly everyone she saw if they knew her boyfriend, Warren, "eve.. even Willow, Xander, Anya and myself met her and… and we thought later that… well… she was a… you know…."

"Sexbot?" asked McKay as Major Sheppard, Dr. Weir, Daniel and the others all looked at him, "what? That sounds like what he created…. I mean, it's pretty impressive if it was life-like and…."

"Very life-like" said Tara, "but the way she spoke was.. I mean.. it was kind of a giveaway."

Tara didn't want to mention the existence of the Buffybot either, at least not yet.. particularly because she didn't want to explain why Spike it created in the first place.

'I'm not going there' thought Tara as she chuckled on the inside, 'I'll leave that for Buffy.'

"Dr. Weir" called Dr. Beckett from his computer as he first waved at the dark haired Woman to come over to the computer, and then waved at Tara who gave him a small wave in return. While Tara talked to the other about everything she knew about Warren, Dr. Weir came up to the computer and stood next to Dr. Beckett who told her that the Prometheus ran scans of the police station multiple times, but they only found two different DNA profiles, "I can't tell if one of them is from this Mr. Mears until I get to compare his DNA with something on file.. but the police report on the news did say that there were three bodies… but we have only two unique DNA signatures."

"Ok" said Dr. Weir before she thanked Dr. Becket, and walked back to where the group was standing. She told Tara, and the others, that it was possible that there were only two human bodies in the jail cell.

"How do you know?" asked Tara.

"We can't tell you" said Dr. Weir, "I'm sorry. But we know that there were only two human bodies in the cell. So let's assume that the Warren that was brought to the jail cell was a robot."

'He'd want to get rid of all witnesses" said Daniel nodding his head, "so he blew it up from somewhere else?"

"And he wouldn't do the job himself if he could help it" said Major Davis, "which means that the Warren who supposedly died in the police station was the robot, and the real one is still out there."

"But why wouldn't the police say anything?" asked McKay.

"The.. the police here aren't…. I mean… they're not effective when it come to things like this" said Tara, "Willow lived here all her life and she told me that the police would often cover up things like this…. You know, vampire attacks would be gangs on PCP, or demons would be people in Halloween costumes who are mentally ill."

"So we can't trust the reports?" asked Daniel.

"I… I mean I've seen how advanced Warren's robots were" said Tara, "April looked real, extremely real like a human being. So…."

"Alright" said Dr. Weir, "lets assume that Miss Summers and the other are being watched and…"

"We were" said Tara as everyone looked back at her, "Willow managed to break into the Trio' camera's and stuff… we found that they were spying on us. I mean the three of them were."

"Maybe they bugged their phones too?" asked the Major.

"Miss Maclay" said Major Davis, "How's your acting skills?"

"I.. I mean I can… well, I'm taking drama if that helps" said Tara.

"I need you to call Buffy and tell her that you've seen my body" said Major Sheppard, "I know it's deceptive, but we're trying to prevent Warren from hitting you guys again. If he knows that I'm dead, then he'll come after you. In the meantime, we'll be watching Buffy's house."

"If he's gunning for you and your friends" said Major Davis, "then he'll come after you. Especially now that he thinks Major Sheppard is out of the way."

"Tara" said Daniel, "you can read my aura, right?"

"Yes" she replied.

"Believe me when I tell you that we'll place every resource we have in preventing Warren from hurting any of you."

"I… I… believe you" said Tara as she narrowed her eyes at the man before looking at Major Sheppard, "I.. I do."

"Just make the call, Tara" said Major Sheppard, "then Major Davis will take you home."

"Tell them that the local police will be dealing with the investigation for now" said Major Davis, "and that the earliest an investigation team from the military could be here is tomorrow evening."

"So he'll have to make a move tomorrow" said Tara as Major Davis nodded his head, "and then lay low until the investigators have left."

"So he's impatient?" asked McKay.

"He shot Buffy" said Major Sheppard, "and then when he found out he was unsuccessful, he tried to kill her sister… but only killed their friends. And then he tried to kill me. Three attempts and one murder, in one day so yeah… I'd say he's impatient and wants this over and done with."

"I… I'll make the call" said Tara as she stood up, but not before hugging the Major again and whispering that she was glad he's safe. Tara was then led to a phone by Major Davis while Major Sheppard looked at the others.

"So can she use magic?" asked Daniel.

"No" said Major Sheppard, "honestly, I'm still getting used to this magic stuff, but all I know is that she has knowledge about all this."

"I'll talk to General O'Neill about placing her under Home World's protection" said Dr. Weir, "in the meantime, Warren Mears is the biggest danger to her, and her friends."

"Agreed" said the Major as he looked at Tara speaking on the phone, "he needs to be taken care off."

TBC.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Amy Madison's home, 0055 hours.**

Ever since Amy's mother was locked in a cheerleading statue back in the old Sunnydale High School, Amy had been living in her old house by herself. She'd be mainly practicing spells in her attic, the same attic that her mother kept al of her magic books, potions, and spells; both light and dark. On her own, Amy was a formidable witch… but then came Willow.

To her, Willow was always the wallflower… a genius, but still a wallflower. She never had power, she was shy, she was insecure and chased Xander like a little puppy. Then she met Buffy and everything changed. Ever since she knew that Willow had the potential to become a gifted witch after she helped defeat her mother, Amy had been sensing the redhead's growing power. She was jealous of Willow… Amy sensed the redhead had no training whatsoever.. unlike Amy who had some training, but she kept on sensing Willow's power kept on growing. Then the young woman turned herself into a rat, and she didn't have the power or the knowledge to turn herself back to human form, at least until Willow herself saved her.

Despite the redhead being the one who transformed Amy back to human form, Amy still disliked Willow; she had managed what Amy could never do, be one of the most powerful witches without even trying.

So Amy wanted to corrupt her. Sure she wanted herself and Willow to have some fun while using their magic without any restrictions; she hoped that maybe, just maybe, if she had someone as powerful as her by her side, Amy could use her to gain more power. She then introduced her to Rack, the dark magic dealer… and it was then that she felt a connection to the redhead.

Willow was just as hungry for power as Amy; she was hungry for the dark magics.

Amy smiled as she watched Willow go to Rack's den secretly to get a hit of the dark magics, while Rack fed off her magic as well. Amy would be in the corner lying on pillows getting a high from the magics that Rack infused into her being, while Rack played with Willow. She'd laugh as Willow writhed on the floor, and then on the ceiling with ecstasy etched on her face as Rack's dark magic coursed through her, giving her a massive high.

Then came the day of the car crash.

Amy heard that Willow crashed a car when she was driving while high on dark magic, and she heard from her sources that Buffy's sister, Dawn, was in the car and she was injured. Amy smiled when she heard Tara broke up with her, and then she made her move again.

She visited Willow at Buffy's house after the redhead had apparently sworn off magic to get Tara back. Amy told Willow that she wanted to get some detergent, and before she left… she shot magical energy at Willow who looked back at her in shock.

"Enjoy yourself" smiled Amy hoping to turn Willow to her side again. She wanted to corrupt her, to put her on a magic high so intense that she could never come back down from it – Amy wanted to kill her.

But her plan backfired, and Willow.. wanting to prove herself to the love of her life, told Amy to never come near her again.

That was it for Amy after Willow slammed the door in her face, 'how dare she? She wanted power.. I showed her power, who the hell does she think she is.'

It was a few months later that she met Warren, a genius who wanted to get rid of Buffy as much as Amy wanted to get rid of Willow. She knew that he was a horrible man who'd betray his own friends if, and when, he could. Amy even knew that he murdered his ex-girlfriend.

However, she didn't care.

To her, Warren was a means to an end. She was the one who introduced him to Rack, and he was the one who told her that he'll help with taking down Willow, after he took down Buffy.

'A means to an end' was what Amy was thinking as she writhed in bed with her eyes closed while Warren was having sex with her after having partially destroyed the hotel Major Sheppard was staying in, after all.. she was the one who helped Rack create the Hellfire Bombs, as well as the shield spell. Gritting her teeth together as Warren continued to pound her while whispering into Amy's ears the number of ways he was going to degrade her… the only thing she could think about was the opportunity she now had to finally get rid of Willow. She wanted Willow all to herself, and she promised Tara to Rack; after he tasted their magic together.

"A white witch" said Rack the day Warren met with him to receive the promised Hellfire while Amy was lying on the floor, looking at Rack, and then at Warren, "I saw her a few days ago… ummm…. such innocence. She's pure, like vanilla. Strawberry and Vanilla, I like the sound of that."

"Willow's mine, Rack" said Amy as she lay on some soft pillows while Warren was counting the number of bombs, and shields, in a bag that Rack handed to him earlier, "you can have Tara."

"After I have a taste of them together" said Rack as Amy smiled.

"Give me a free dose first" she said as Rack grinned while Warren just looked on. Rack walked towards Amy while he rubbed his hands together before pulling them apart as red coloured electrical energy jumped from one hand to another. He then kneeled while Warren walked over to Amy who then arched her back as red coloured energy flowed for a few seconds from Rack's hand, and into Amy's chest. Warren smiled as Amy looked at him while she opened her mouth in euphoria.

"Hey baby" said Warren as he knelt down and then leaned over Amy's writhing body, "I'll be back soon."

"Take me" whined Amy as she looked at Warren.

"Tonight" said Warren as he looked over her body before looking into her eyes again, "oh believe me, we'll celebrate tonight."

Amy moaned as she closed her eyes while Warren looked at Rack.

"Give her another hit" smiled the creep, "I'll pay."

"If you say so" said Rack smiling as he gave Amy another dose of dark magic as she screamed in ecstasy.

Back in her bedroom, Warren rolled off Amy and lay beside her as the both of them panted while looking up at the ceiling. Looking at the man next to her, Amy licked her lips before asking him if he was ready for the next round. Before he could answer, he and Amy looked up when his laptop beeped, and the screen activated.

"Aha" said Warren as he got up from bed and walked over to the table and leaned over the keyboard before he started typing on the keyboard.

"Hello" said a familiar voice that came over the computer's speakers while Warren looked back at Amy who sat up with her blanket covering her chest.

"Buffy" said Warren with a smile as she continued to talk, when a different voice came over the line... a very upset voice.

"Buffy" said Tara's voice as it broke, "I.. I.."

"Tara?" said Buffy, "did you.. I mean, have they found your brother?"

"I... I just saw.. saw the.. I mean, I.. I just saw John's body" said Tara as Warren punched the air and cheered while Amy smiled.

"Oh, baby" comforted Willow as the smile on Amy's face vanished, "I can come out there if you want, and.."

"It's alright... I... I... I'll be heading back home" replied Tara, "I.. I'll be dropped off... I... I.. just wanna come back and..."

"Just come back, sweetie" said Willow as Amy started making faces at Willow's voice, "we'll get through this together."

"Looks like it's going to be check and mate" said Warren as he heard Tara let out a sob before the phone went dead. He then looked at Amy who dropped the blanket and leaned back on her elbows, "tomorrow, the Slayer and her friends die."

"Not until I've had Willow" said Amy as Warren climbed back onto the bed and climbed on top of her, "and Rack has Tara."

"I've got a plan for them" said Warren before he went down to kiss Amy's neck, and then whispered into her ear, "you'll play a part too."

"Good" said Amy as she closed her eyes and smiled.

**The Summers Residence, 0800 hours.**

Xander felt the warmth of sunlight hit the side of his face before he covered his whole body with a blanket that Willow and Tara placed over him after the blonde witch got back from the Army base. Willow could see that she was shaken as she told Willow and Buffy about the burnt body that she saw, the only identifying mark was his dog-tags.

Tara hated lying to Willow, and Buffy, but with Warren possibly out there.. she used what she learned in her 'Intro to Drama' class and gave a performance worthy of an award. But with Xander in their bed, Tara just wanted to be with Willow.. even though she knew that her brother wasn't dead, she still wanted to be close to her soul-mate, especially with all the excitement of the previous day. So, while Buffy slept with Dawn in her room where she just held on to her sister, Willow and Tara held on to each other while they slept on the couch in the living room.

Back in Willow and Tara's room, Xander sniffled under the blanket as he tried to continue sleeping… but he could still see daylight filtering through the blanket, and then through his eyelids. Slowly getting up after tossing aside the blanket, Xander sat on the bed with his legs hanging off the edge while looking through the gap between the curtains to the view outside. Xander remembered all the weird questions that Anya had, he remembered all the times they had fun, all the times they fought demons, vampires and each other, he remembered the times when she saved him, the times she was there for him, he remembered how beautiful she looked in her wedding dress, and then he remembered his own cowardice.

"I never got to say sorry" whispered Xander as he wiped his eyes.

"Yeah, well… you should have" said an image of Anya that was sitting next to him who was also looking out the window.

"You're just my imagination" said Xander softly.

"No D'uh" said the faux Anya sarcastically, "I'm dead remember?"

"I miss you" said Xander as he looked at the image of his ex-fiancée, and then back at the carpet, "yeah, this is me… talking to my imaginary Anya who lives in my head."

"I wouldn't be here if you weren't thinking of me" said Anya as she frowned at Xander, "couldn't you have been thinking of me the day we were supposed to be married?"

"I was" said Xander as he looked at the carpeted floor before looking at the image of Anya again, "I was afraid that I'd turn out to be my dad. Even though what that demon showed me was a fake, it was something I was afraid of and… and I never told you about it. I thought about it a lot after I proposed, right after I proposed… but…"

"You were afraid" said Anya nodding her head.

"You're just my head agreeing with me" said Xander.

"I know" replied Anya, 'but it's not your fault. Dawn feels worse off than you."

"She said she was sorry, that it was her fault" said Xander softly as the sunlight shone through the gap between the two curtains onto him, "but it wasn't…"

"Whose was it then?" asked Anya.

"Mine" said Xander.

"Partly" said Anya as Xander looked at her, "hey, I'm in your head… you're basically talking to yourself, so yeah.. there's a little part that really does blame yourself."

"You saved Dawn" said Xander as he turned to look at Anya who had already vanished. He then looked back down on the carpet and whispered, "I love you."

While Xander was slowly getting off the bed, there were knocks on the main door that woke up Tara and Willow from their sleep. Wiping her eyes, Willow quickly got up.. followed by Tara as they headed to the door and looked through the peephole. Willow then looked at Tara before opening the door to Giles standing out in the porch with a bag over his shoulder. Willow, Tara and Giles just looked at each other before Willow started to cry as she stepped forward and hugged the Watcher.

"I'm sorry it took me so long" said Giles as Willow stepped back and nodded her head before Tara hugged him, "it took some time for me to use my contacts in the Council to get me a private jet so that I could get all the way here."

Giles then asked how Xander was doing, and Willow told him that he was still sleeping. The older man was then led in by Willow as Tara turned and looked at a white van in the distance, and gave a small smile. She knew that Major Sheppard, and two other military personnel were watching the house from five houses away, as well as from another van a few houses down on the other end of the street.

"There's something else, Giles" said Willow as Tara closed the door behind her and the three of them stood in the foyer, "Tara.. Tara's brother…..."

"There was a bombing last night, Mr. Giles" said Tara softly as her voice trembled, "Jo… John was in his room when it happened."

Giles looked on in shock as Willow and Tara told him that part of the hotel collapsed, and that the police were treating it as a terrorist attack. Tara told him that she already saw the body last night, and it really was him.

"I'm sorry to hear that" said Giles as he put down his bag with a thud before stepping forward to tightly hug Tara as she shed a few tears before wiping them away. She then pulled back and whispered to Giles that she didn't want Xander, or Dawn to know… they were already dealing with Anya's death and they didn't need news of what happened to her brother.

"I'll tell them after Anya's funeral" said Tara, "I… I mean the Air Force is sending his remains to Peterson Air Base and… and.. I'll be leaving after the funeral to… I mean, I guess I'll be seeing my real dad… but what a way to meet a daughter you don't know exists, huh?"

"They don't deserve you if they think you're joking, even with all the evidence" replied Willow who held on to Tara while Giles nodded his head before turning around when he heard a soft voice behind him. He looked up the stairs, as did Willow and Tara, as Buffy with Dawn by her side were walking down the stairs.

"Dawn" he said as the younger Summers sister hugged him while Buffy climbed down the last step and stood behind her trembling sister. She then put her hand on the brunette's shoulder while Giles rubbed Dawn's back while whispering, "it's going to be alright."

"It's my fault" said Dawn softly as she wiped tears while hugging Giles, "I said some stuff I shouldn't have, and she still saved me… she died saving me."

"It's not your fault" said Xander as he slowly walked down the stairs with his hair all over the place, and his shoulder slumped forward, "Dawn it's not your fault."

"It is" said Dawn as she let go of Giles and went up a few steps to hug Xander, "I'm so sorry."

"Anya saved you" said Xander softly as Giles walked up a few stairs and grabbed on to Xander's arm. The men looked at each other for a few seconds before Xander nodded his head, indicating that he'd be coping with Anya's death. Xander then tightened his hold on Dawn and rested his chin on the top of her head, "she protected you, Dawn. If she didn't do what she did, then you'd be the one hurt… and Anya didn't want that."

"Come, Xander" said Giles as Dawn pulled back and nodded her head at Xander before he gave a small smile and walked past the young woman, "I know this is hard, but we need to make preparations for…. Well…."

"I know" said Xander as they stood in the foyer.

"Let us get some coffee, first" said Giles before he looked at Buffy, "I take it everything's where it's supposed t be?"

"Yea" replied Buffy nodding her head.

While Giles and the others were reminiscing about Anya; Major Sheppard, Daniel, and two other soldiers were in the white van. Daniel had seen Giles walking up to the house after getting out of a taxi, and guessed that he must have been Buffy's Watcher. However, it was just a wild guess on his part since he was sure that everything on Giles would be flagged by the Council; so if he, or Home World did check on his file, then it was possible the Council would unwittingly interfere and they would not be able to get Warren.

It was a few hours later, around one in the afternoon that the Major, who was eating a sandwich while a technician looked at a monitor watched Tara, Willow, and Buffy leaving the house through a pair of binoculars, and getting into the Jeep that was parked in the driveway. He saw them get into the car, and then he told the driver to follow them discretely while telling the personnel in the other van to keep a lookout on the house. As the van followed the Jeep, Daniel received a call from the Sunnydale Army Base; putting the call on speaker, Daniel and the Major listened to Dr. Beckett telling him that he really was paternally related to Tara.. they had the same father.

"That's not all" said an excited Dr. Beckett, "I haven't told Dr. Weir yet, I mean I thought it best that you know before anyone else, but your sister seems to have an anomaly in her blood work."

"Anomaly?" asked Major Sheppard concerned, 'what anomaly?"

"It's not the ATA gene" said Dr. Beckett while he was looking at a screen when McKay, hearing what his friend was talking about, rushed up to him and checked Dr. Beckett's data, "it's something different. I haven't seen its characteristics before. The blood has elevated levels of an unknown protein, and enzymes… just like with someone who has the ATA gene."

"But this isn't the Ancient gene?" asked Daniel.

"No" said McKay and Dr. Beckett together while the former was reading the date before Dr. Beckett frowned and snatched it back.

"Privacy, Rodney" said the doctor as McKay asked for the phone, but Dr. Beckett ignored him and continued to speak to Major Sheppard and Daniel while the van continued to follow the Jeep.

"I'll need to conduct more tests" said Dr. Beckett, "but this could be something entirely different. I'll put it through whatever medical files we have the ten percent of the Ancient database we were able to bring back to Earth. I do hope that will have some information on this gene."

"Find what you can, Dr. Beckett" said Daniel, "oh, get in touch with Sam if you can't find anything. She can send a coded subspace burst to the Asgard, maybe they'll know something."

"Understood" said Dr. Beckett.

"Tara told me that anyone can practise magic" said Major Sheppard as Daniel deactivated the line to Dr Beckett, "it can't be anything genetic. According to what she told me, some people are just naturals at it.. while others train for years."

"Maybe" said Daniel, "but this brings into question what the gene does. Does it activate some technology we haven't encountered, or is it something that's just passed down as an anomaly?"

"Hopefully something's in the Atlantis database we brought along" replied the Major.

"Sir, the Jeep's being parked" said the soldier in the passenger seat as he looked back at the Major while the driver drove past the jeep as it entered the parking lot of a funeral home. They drove for a few blocks before heading into a side street and then turning around. Eventually they stopped a block away from the funeral home, and started surveillance on the three young women. A screen in the back of the van was then activated to show a top-down view of the funeral home; the Asgard sensors from the Prometheus feeding Major Sheppard and Daniel live information. They watched as three red dots, indentified as Buffy, Willow, and Tara entered the funeral home which already had six other people inside milling around with coloured blue.

"Can you tap into the funeral home's camera's?" asked Daniel asking the technician who was sitting behind the monitor.

"No, sir" said the man.

"I'll go and keep a look out" said Daniel, "Tara's friends haven't seen me so it shouldn't be a problem."

The Major nodded his head as Daniel opened the rear doors, jumped out of the van, and then rushed to the funeral home. All the while, Major Sheppard was feeding him information on the location of the three young woman through his ear piece. Upon reached the entrance to the funeral home, Daniel opened the door and walked inside. He followed Major Sheppard's directions until he was among people who were looking at coffins. Daniel then noticed Buffy talking to a bald man who was showing her a dark brown coffin with silver handles on the sides while Tara and Willow were looking at something else while talking to each other.

Daniel whispered into his earpiece that he'll be making contact with Tara, just to let her know that they were being watched.

"Copy that" said Major Sheppard as he, and the technician, watched the black dot representing Daniel walk behind the dots representing Tara and Willow.

"Sorry" said Daniel as he lightly bumped against Tara who turned and looked at him in surprise before realizing that he was there just watching them, and she remembered that her brother asked not to tell her friends yet about Warren. She saw Daniel give her and Willow a small smile before walking over to another end where he was looking at a coffin as another man approached him and started to tell him the need to bury his loved one in that particular coffin.

"Reminds me of a younger version of Giles" whispered Willow before she and Tara looked back at the coffin they were standing over.

"Yea" said Tara softly, 'John must be close by.'

"Do.. do you want me to come with you when you… I mean… you meet your dad?" asked Willow, "I mean, with all that's happened with your brother gone, I mean… I don't think you should go alone."

"Yea" said Tara softly, "I'd like that."

"They have more things there" said Willow as they looked through a doorway that led to an adjacent room, "maybe we can find something nicer than what they have here. Giles already offered to pay for Anya's funeral and… and he asked us to get the best."

"Looks like Buffy's busy" said Tara as she and Willow looked at the same bald man leading Buffy to another coffin that was on another side of the room. She then looked at the adjacent room before telling Willow that maybe they should look at what they have available there, and if they find something that they feel Anya would love, then they can let Buffy know.

"That's what I was gonna say" said Willow as she and Tara walked to the other room. As they were walking together, Willow and Tara never noticed the girl in a black dress, and black wide brimmed hat, walking behind them. Daniel, however, saw the mysterious woman… and also saw that Buffy, whose back was to Willow and Tara, was busy talking to the bald salesman while rubbing her forehead in frustration. The archaeologist smiled at Buffy before he looked at Willow and Tara, who was being followed by the woman.. her face hidden by the hat she was wearing. Daniel walked towards the second entrance that led to the adjacent room.

As Daniel was walking through the threshold from the adjacent room to the other one through the second doorway, Willow and Tara passed the threshold through the first door when they felt a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I knew you two would be here" said the woman as she looked up and smiled at a surprised Willow, and Tara.

"Will" said Tara as Willow locked her jaw, "it's…"

Daniel walked through the threshold and expected to find Tara and Willow, as well as the woman in the black hat in the adjacent room. But, to his surprise, there was no-one there.. the room had only one person whose back was towards the two doorways. Daniel then ran into the other room that was still full of people, but didn't se Willow, Tara, or the woman.

"Daniel" said Major Sheppard through his earpiece, "Tara, Willow, and one unknown just vanished from our screen. What's going on?"

"I don't know" said Daniel while he heard Buffy tell the bald man that she wanted to ask her friends what they thought. He saw her turn and look for Tara and Willow, but she was unable to find them as well, "Major, they just vanished in a split second.. literally."

"Crap" said the Major as he rubbed his forehead, "is Buffy still there?"

"Yea" whispered Daniel as Buffy walked through the first doorway, and into the adjacent room where she looked around and then walked back out confused, "let me check for Tara and Willow again."

Daniel casually looked around before walking to the adjacent room again.. and then he walked out the entrance to the parking lot, hoping that maybe they may have gone out of the shop somehow. But he never found any sign of them.

"Major" said Daniel into his earpiece while turning around as he heard the inside door open, and then the exterior door as Buffy rushed out.. looked at Daniel, and then ran to the side of the funeral home that looked out into the main street, "we need Buffy's help on this. If this is magic, then we need help."

"Do it" said the Major, "I'll call Elizabeth and I'll take full responsibility. Besides, I doubt this Council can watch her all the time. Just come up with a story so that we could talk to her, in the meantime… I'm calling Elizabeth now."

"Copy" said Daniel as Buffy rushed back to the door, and was about to open it when Daniel called out to her.

"Miss Summers" said Daniel as Buffy stopped and looked back at the archaeologist suspiciously, "my name is Dr. Daniel Jackson, I'd like to speak with you.. it's urgent."

"Guy, I don't know how you know my name… but this is really bad day to go all stalkerish on me. So I'll give you a chance to run."

"I'm not here to harm you, or your friends" said Daniel as he put his hands up, "but we can't talk outside here in the open in case the Council's watching you."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to go into your Jeep, drive down a block and then make a left. You'll see a white van.. I'll be there."

"What kind of a…"

"This is about Tara, and your friend" said Daniel as he noticed Buffy's hands being rolled into fists before she rushed him, and pushed him onto the hood of the Jeep before pulling her arm back.

"Did you kidnap them?" asked Buffy as she glared at Daniel, "my friend just died, and now you decide to try and kidnap them? What? You part of the Initiative? A rogue part?"

"I'm not part of the Initiative" said Daniel, "I swear that we're not here to harm you… or your friends. We wanted to protect you, and your friends… but given that the Council wants us to keep our hands off you, we thought it best not to approach you directly. We were really watching out for Tara and…"

"You're her brother's friends" said Buffy as Daniel nodded his head, "so why are you watching out for her if her brother's dead?"

"I…."

"The only reason I could think of?" said Buffy as she gritted her teeth, "is that someone targeted him, and then whoever that is, knows that he has a sister… and so he or she wants to get rid of her. And since she was with Willow… she got taken too. Am I missing something?"

"Daniel" said Major Sheppard into his earpiece, "where are you?"

"Kinda busy" said Daniel as Buffy looked at him confused while still holding him down, "Miss Summers, if Tara and your other friend were taken from here, this means that this place is being watched. So all I'm asking is that you meet with me and my colleagues. If this is related to magic, I can tell you that we'll need your help. We have no experience in this area so… please?"

"You know who I am, and what I can do" said the Blonde Slayer as she let Daniel, who nodded his head, go, "if you, or your people do anything, then you won't have the Council to worry about. You'll have me."

"I understand" said Daniel.

"Get in the Jeep" said the Slayer, "you tell me where to go, then I want you and your friends to drop your guns… I hate guns… before I talk to them."

"Sure" said Daniel as he nodded his head.

Once Daniel had entered the Jeep, Buffy drove the vehicles off the lot and then turned left before driving a block down. Daniel then told her to turn into a parking lot where there was a white van parked in the corner.

"I know they've been listening" said Buffy one she parked a few stalls away from the white van, "that thing can hold what? Four to six people? Xander used to drive something like that, at least that's what he told me. I want everyone to leave the doors open and…."

"Major" said Daniel, "I think you need to convince her."

"Who?" asked Buffy as she looked at Daniel, and then at the rear doors of the van opening to reveal Major Sheppard sitting on a chair, and looking back at the blonde Slayer whose eyes were wide open in shock, 'how? What?"

"We really need to talk" said Daniel while Buffy looked at the grim faced Major, "we need help in finding where they are, and you'd be the best person to ask."

TBC.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Amy Madison's Home, 0130 hours, the previous night.**

After another celebratory session with each other following confirmation that Major Sheppard was dead thanks to the call from Tara, Warren had Amy perform a ritual that made her look to future events so that they could see what the Scoobies would be up to the next day. He wanted to get this over and done with so that they could start on the next stage of the plan, ruling over the demons of Sunnydale with Amy by his side. Amy had told him that looking into the future was going to be difficult, and they won't get everything they need to know.

"It's against nature, and nature will push back" said Amy as she shrugged in bed, "but what the hell? I'll give it a wack."

"Good girl" said Warren grinning, "now get to work."

As Amy lifted off the ground while lights danced all around her, she told Warren about the visions she was getting. Buffy, Tara, and Willow heading to the funeral home being followed by a white van, then a man with glasses bumping against Tara; then there was a flash as she watched Buffy getting into that same van with that stranger, but Amy couldn't see who was in that van. She then told Warren, while her eyes were pure black, that there was another white van watching the Summer home, that they would probably take action if they see Warren approaching the house.

"No" said Warren as Amy jerked awake and her eyes returned to their usual colour, "they won't see me approaching the house."

"What's your plan?" asked Amy as she looked up at a grinning Warren.

**Outside the Summers Residence, van with Major Sheppard, twenty minutes before leaving for Funeral home. 1320 hours.**

A woman in a floral dress was walking past one of two the white vans that were watching the Summers home, the same white vans that Amy had seen in her vision. The woman, who was really the last of Warren's robots hidden with a glamour spell as a beautiful woman, then crouched down once reaching the back doors. She then reached into her purse and took out a block of C-4 connected to a detonator that was connected to a cell phone which she attached to the bottom of the van. She then turned around and walked away, all while avoiding all the rear-view, and side mirrors. As she walked away, she then made the long way around to the other van at the other end of the street while whistling.

All the while, its master was in a black van that was parked blocks away from the Summers house, and the two white vans. The young man was given a glamour spell by Amy that would disguise him as a demon. He knew that those watching the Summers house were most likely military, so they'd be taken out first… and then he would drive his van to the doorstep of the Summers house where he would activate the glamour, and use the weapons in the van to kill the people inside the house.

"They just have swords and knives" said a gleeful Warren as he watched the monitors from the back of his van, "good luck with bullets. I know Buffy will be going into one of these vans so… bye-bye Buffy. And the other van? Your friends will come out when they hear the explosion, and that's when I'll kill them all.. and you'll die in an explosion with whoever is in that other van. I' so excited I'm shaking."

Warren looked maniacally at the feeds from the cameras in the Funeral Home; he broke inside the building the previous night after Amy's vision and put a wireless transmitter that would send the feeds to his receiver which was in his van a few blocks away from the Summers house. Warren could see everything on his monitor, including all traffic camera feeds after he hacked into the city's systems.

"I've got it all figured out. Buffy" said Warren, "time to say bye-bye to your friends, time to say bye-bye to Willow and Tara cause Rack and Amy are gonna have so much fun with them."

**A block away from the funeral home, 1320 hours.**

Buffy was sitting in her jeep with Daniel by her side was as she stared at Major Sheppard who was looking back at her grimly. She then felt the jeep moving slightly as Daniel got out of the passenger side of the vehicle and motioned Buffy to follow him out, and into the van. Still in disbelief about what was happening, Buffy stormed out of the jeep before slamming the door, she then rushed past Daniel and jumped into the van before pushing the technician away who was reaching for his sidearm, and then grabbing Major Sheppard by his collar and slamming him to the wall of the van.

"What the hell is this?" asked Buffy enraged as she picked Major Sheppard up before slamming him against the wall again. It was then that she felt a weapon being pointed at her head from the technician, as well as hearing weapons being cocked by two men outside the van doors; one was the driver, and the other was the passenger. All of them were pointing their weapons at Buffy who held Major Sheppard up by the collar, while Daniel was trying to calm everyone down.

"Weapons down" said Daniel as he stood between Buffy and the soldiers outside, while pointing at the technician, "down, all weapons down."

"Sir" said the technician as he looked at Daniel.

"Miss Summers" said Daniel as he looked at the young woman, "please, we need to work together to bring Tara and Willow back."

"Buffy" said Major Sheppard as Buffy pushed him against the wall again while Daniel was shouting at the soldiers not to shoot, "I was attacked in my hotel room after I got back. Someone used magic based weapons to try and kill me. I managed to escape, but… I mean you know what happened with the hotel. Look I don't know how, but I heard a voice in my room.. Warren's voice."

'Warren?" asked Buffy as she loosened her grip slightly, but then tightened it again before telling the man that Warren was dead, "he died in that explosion at the police station. It was in the news."

"Did he really?" asked Daniel as Buffy looked at him.

"All of you, weapons down" said Major Sheppard as Buffy looked back at him, "weapons down, that's an order."

"But, sir" said one of the soldiers outside.

"Weapons down" said Major Sheppard again as the soldiers looked at each other before lowering their weapons slowly.

"Buffy" said Major Sheppard as he looked back at the blonde Slayer, "Tara told us that Warren built a robot girlfriend… that he was actually good at it."

"She said it looked real" said Daniel as Buffy looked at him, "Miss Summers, is it possible that the one the police said died could have been a robot?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Buffy as she let go of Major Sheppard who was glad to be back on the floor of the van.

"We asked Tara to hide the truth from you guys" said the Major as Buffy glared at him, "we knew that Warren would make his move once he found out I was really dead, but we weren't sure if he tapped your phones."

"So when Tara called…." said Buffy as she rubbed her forehead.

"Don't blame her" said Daniel as Buffy looked at him, and then at Major Sheppard again.

"You used us as bait" said Buffy with her hands on her hips, "that's exactly what I expected from the military, and…."

"We've got another team watching your house" said Major Sheppard, "one of our satellite's is watching your neighbourhood for any signs of Warren. We're using any pictures of him to run facial recognition. We know if he's going after your friends, then he'll want to get them all in one go.. so he'll attack your house. Once he comes out into the open, our team moves in and takes him into custody."

"But if you knew that Major Sheppard was alive" said Daniel, "then Warren would have tried something worse to get him, before coming to you guys. Or h could have laid low, and we would never be able to catch him.. until it was too late."

"I know what happened with the Initiative" said Major Sheppard, "most of it anyway. And technically, we're not supposed to be even talking to you since we've been told by the Watcher's Council that we can't approach you."

"But this is pretty urgent, Miss Summers" said Daniel, "we need your help, and whatever knowledge you have about magic. Like I said, this is completely out of our element."

"Fine" said Buffy as she looked at Daniel, "you were in the funeral home, right?"

"Yes"

'What did you see?"

"Tara and Willow were heading to the other room" said Daniel, "another woman was behind them, and when I went through the other door, they were gone."

"Gone? As is poof with a lightshow, or just gone?"

"Just gone" said Daniel as he looked at Major Sheppard before both of them looked at Buffy, "poof?"

**Outside the Summers Residence, a few blocks away, 1325 hours.**

Warren was looking at the video feed of Buffy rushing into the van before he noticed it moving from side to side. Warren couldn't help but laugh as he thought about what was happening as the two soldiers in the front cabin rushed out to the rear of the van and raised their weapons.

"I wish I could see what was going on inside the van" said Warren as the soldiers slowly lowered their weapons before heading back to the front cabin, and into their seats, "hah, now you're the ones who'll be the first to go."

Warren took out a phone and dialled a number just as one of his glamoured robots, the one who planted the C-4 underneath the van that carried Daniel and Major Sheppard, walked into the Sunnydale Police station. The robot put its hands on the front desk as a police officer came over to ask if she needed any help.

"No" said the dark haired robot in a southern voice as it placed its purse on the desk while the police officer looked on confused, "but you might."

The officer looked on as the robot opened its purse and showed the officer the remaining two Hellfire bombs that remained in the bag.

"Displodo" said the robot as the resulting explosion destroyed the robot and killed ten officers, and a few detectives, while wounded fourteen others while the rest ran out through the back way in case the building were to collapse with the hotel. At the same time, a call was given out to the police units, as well as the fire department, to head to the station to help the wounded.

**Prometheus, Orbit of Earth, at that same time.**

"Ma'am" shouted one of the personnel on the bridge manning one of the scanning stations, "we've detected an explosion in Sunnydale."

"Where?" asked Colonel Carter as she rushed to the scanning station and the Captain pointed to a map of Sunnydale. The scan then zoomed in to show the police station, along with several police officers rushing out of the back doors as more police cars arrived, as well as personnel from the fire department, "damn it."

The Colonel frowned and looked back over her shoulder and asked Major Marks to contact Home World, and tell them what's happening. While her back was to the screen, the Colonel didn't see a line of numbers which was actually noticed by the Captain at the sensor station.

"Ma'am!" shouted the Captain as Colonel Carter turned around again, only to see another explosion close to the Summers house which was marked in red. The Colonel and the Captain, who was manning the scanning station, looked in horror as one of the surveillance vans, carrying six military personnel to watch over the Summers house, was blown up.

"Marks!" shouted Colonel Carter as she looked over her shoulder, "get me the SGC, we need a team ready to head to that house, now. And get me Dr. Weir."

**A block away from the funeral home, 1328 hours.**

While Buffy couldn't believe that Major Sheppard was alive after that bad of an explosion at the hotel, and the part that Tara played in hiding the truth from them; she pushed everything to the back of her mind while trying to think about who could do something like this.

'Who could've Warren worked with to kidnap both Tara and Willow from right under us?' thought Buffy to herself.

"Buffy?" asked Major Sheppard as the monitor in the van turned on.

"Dr. Weir?" asked Daniel as he looked at the dark haired woman.

"Dr. Jackson" said the woman just before she laid her eyes on Buffy who was standing in the background, "I…. hello."

"Buffy Summers" said Major Sheppard before he motioned towards Dr. Weir, "Dr. Elizabeth Weir, my boss."

"You're not a psycho or…." Said Buffy before she was interrupted by .

"While I'd like to continue this, Miss Summers" said Dr. Weir, "I need all of you to get out of the Van.. now."

"Elizabeth?" asked Daniel.

"The surveillance van outside Miss Summers home just exploded" said Dr, Weir as Buffy looked on shocked, "our… satellite detected a transmission just before the explosion… we think you could have a bomb as well. Dr. McKay's been trying to contact you but your phones have been going directly to voicemail. Get to the Summers house.. use a cab… anything. Go."

"Copy that" said Major Sheppard as he looked at everyone, "out.. out of the van now."

"We're sending bomb technicians to your location" said Dr. Weir, "and reinforcements to Miss Summers home."

"The police?" asked Buffy.

"There was another explosion at the police department" said Dr. Weir, "you won't be seeing police back-up there for awhile."

"Warren" said Buffy shaking her head, "I'll kill him."

"Elizabeth" said Major Sheppard, "send reinforcements now."

"We've got a team heading to the city in two minutes" said Dr. Weir nodding her head, "get out of there."

"We're leaving now" said Major Sheppard as they got out of the van. The Major then told the Soldiers to give him and Daniel their sidearm's, while they wait for the bomb technicians, "stay away from the van, and prevent anyone, except for our own people, from getting in there."

"Police?"

"Make sure they know what's going on before they do anything" said Major Sheppard.

"Understood" said the soldier before Major Sheppard turned and asked Buffy for the keys, which she turned over to the man since she didn't want to argue, especially with her friends in danger. They then got into the jeep before the Major sped off towards the Summers home.

Back on the Prometheus, Colonel Carter was looking at the burning wreckage of the van when the scanners zoomed out and then back into the Summers residence and the surrounding neighbours as she watched people pouring outside onto their lawns to see what was going on. It was just then that a black van sped onto the front lawn of the Summers home, narrowly avoiding an older man who then pushed a young girl, and another young man back into the house as a red skinned creature with black horns, and leathery wings walked out the side doors of the black van with two rifles and started firing.

"Marks!" said the Colonel as she ran to the screen on the port side of the ship, "get me the SGC."

Major Marks nodded his head and then pressed a few buttons before Colonel Carter could see Walter's face on the other side of the screen.

"Walter" said the Colonel, "is SG-3 ready?"

"Two minutes, ma'am" said Walter as General Landry rushed down the stairs behind the Gate technician.

"Colonel Carter" said the General, "he's taken action?"

"Yes, sir" said the Colonel.

"Colonel Reynolds and his team are almost ready for beam out" said the General as he looked at something off-screen before he looked back at the blonde Colonel on the Prometheus, "lock on to the tracking beacon in their vehicle in three minutes."

"Understood" said the Colonel nodding her head before she headed to the scanner. She watched the creature continue shooting into the house for a horrific three minutes before the General gave the go ahead. The Colonel then gave the order to Major Marks to commence beam out. Colonel Carter, and a few other personnel, watched as a black van appeared in a flash of light behind Warren's van as the red skinned creature dropped the weapons in shock. The Prometheus crew watched as the rear doors opened before Colonel Reynolds and his team rushed out, while the red skinned creature made a run for it. Colonel Reynolds pointed his fingers towards the house as two of his men rushed into the house while he and another member of his team ran after the creature.

Once they were off-screen, Colonel Carter went back to the port side screen where Walter and the General were still on-screen when suddenly Colonel Reynolds' voice came over the speakers at the SGC saying that Warren Mears was zatted.

"I saw a red creature" said Colonel Carter, who knew that Colonel Reynolds could hear her as well, "he had wings and everything."

"He must have been wearing some holographic technology" said Colonel Reynolds, "but I can confirm it's him. What would you like to do with him, General?"

"Take him to the Army base" said General Landry, "I want two of your team to remain. I'll have Dr. Weir send Dr. Beckett and some personnel from the Army base. They should be at the house as soon as possible."

"Understood" said Colonel Reynolds as he and the other member of his team, Major Griff, brought the unconscious Warren to the black van and dumped him on the floor with his hands cuffed. The Colonel then told Major Griff to get inside and close the doors, "if he moves, shoot him with the Zat again."

"Understood, sir" said the Major as Colonel Reynolds ran into the house where two of his men were watching over the two men comforting the crying young girl. The Colonel then turned to the both of them and told them that they were to guard the house until another team from the Army Base got there. The two SG-3 members nodded their heads before stationing themselves at the front door while the Colonel looked at Giles, Dawn, and Xander and asked them if they were alright.

"Yes" said Giles as he fixed his glasses while he tried t o come up with an explanation for the officer standing in front of him, "that thing you… you saw was a… a…."

"It's alright, sir" said the Colonel, "explanations aren't necessary."

"But" said Giles, "we never heard any car pull up, or…."

It was then there came a squeal of tires followed by a girl shouting.

"Dawn!" shouted Buffy as she rushed past the guards outside and ran into the house as Colonel Reynolds stepped aside to let the blonde through to the living room where she hugged her sister. It was then that Daniel, and Major Sheppard walked in. Buffy then looked back at Major Sheppard and then at Giles before introducing the both of them.

"You're Tara's brother?" asked the Watcher as he looked on surprised, "your death must have been…"

"Sorry" said Major Sheppard.

"Death?" asked Dawn and Xander together.

"You died?" asked Dawn as she held on to Buffy.

"Warren Mears tried to kill me, I escaped and…."

"Warren?" asked Xander as he picked up an axe, "where is he?"

"He's gonna pay for everything" said Major Sheppard as he put his hands up, "believe me, he'll pay for everything he did. But right now, we have a much bigger problem."

"Tara and her friend have been kidnapped" said Daniel.

"What?" asked Giles.

"Tara knew that I wasn't dead" said Major Sheppard, "and since Warren seemed to be going after you guys, we figured he wanted me out of the way. So we made him think I died, so that he'd come after you sooner. We had you guys guarded the whole time."

"The van" said Xander shocked, "the one that exploded."

'I don't know how he found out" said Major Sheppard, "but he did. We don't have any proof, but considering that he needed the distraction, he may have bombed the police station."

"Oh dear lord" said Giles as he rubbed his forehead.

"And he could have blown up our van up too" said Daniel, "but we don't know why he didn't, or why he chose to attack now if he thought we weren't dead. IN either case, we'll be asking him that question. But for right now, we have Tara and her friend missing."

"What happened?" asked Dawn.

"I went into the funeral home to keep an eye on them" said Daniel as Colonel Reynolds told Major Sheppard that he'll take Warren to the Army base. He then left after telling Daniel that another team from the Army base should be at the house in a few minutes. Nodding his head, Daniel then said goodbye to the Colonel before continuing talking to Giles and the others, telling them what he saw.

"Just vanished?" asked Giles.

"Yes" replied Daniel

"Any idea?" asked Major Sheppard, "anyone other than Warren who could have something…"

"No" said Dawn with her eyes opened wide in realization as she looked at Buffy, "Buff?"

"What?" asked the blonde Slayer, "Dawnie? What?"

"Warren hates you" said Dawn.

"Who hates Willow and Tara?" asked Xander softly.

"Amy" said Buffy and Dawn together.

"Willow said that Amy wasn't too happy when she told her never to come near her again" said Buffy, "I don't know if that means she hates her but…. I mean it's a start."

"Amy?" asked Daniel.

"She's a witch" said Dawn as Daniel looked at her with an eyebrow raised, while Major Sheppard looked at Buffy with his eyes wide open and discretely waving his hands while trying to tell her that he didn't tell anyone about witches, "Willow was all up on dark magic and Amy introduced her to this dealer and… I mean Willow doesn't do it now since Tara broke up with her and she wanted her back so…"

"Dawn" said Giles and Buffy.

"What" said Dawn as she looked at Giles and Buffy, "look, Willow's missing so do we really have time to play this game? I mean.. come on, John and…. I don't know the other guy… I mean they're here to help so…. Come on."

"Sorry" said Daniel as he stepped forward, "in all the mess I forgot to introduce myself. Dr. Daniel Jackson."

"Dr. Jackson?" asked Giles as he put his glasses back on and walked towards him, "Rupert Giles."

"Dr. Rupert Giles" said Daniel as he shook his hand, "you were the former curator of the British Museum, PhD in history and archaeology from Oxford University. You also dabbled in folklore and mythologies. I used some of your papers for my dissertation on Ancient Egypt. You dropped out of academia, I mean I was looking for any new publications but never found anything recent."

"Everyone thought you were dead" said Giles after shaking each other's hands, "I mean both physically, and professionally."

'Yeah" said Daniel, "that book's gonna be the death of me."

"You wrote a book?" asked Dawn as she jumped over next to Giles while grinning at Daniel.

"O… k, back to Tara and Willow?" said Major Sheppard as he looked at the worried look on Xander before looking at Giles, "if this Amy took the both of them, how do we find them? And do we know where they could be?"

"There's a place we can find out" said Buffy as she cracked her knuckles, "and since this involves two of my best friends, I'm coming with you."

"But…." said the Major.

"Where we're going" said Buffy, "they don't fear the military, they fear me."

"And this place is?" asked Daniel.

"Willies Bar" said Buffy.

**Rack's Place, 1400 hours.**

Tara slowly awoke feeling nauseas from the teleportation spell that was used against both her and Willow. She found herself in a room with a bed in one corner, and pillows all over the floor and a table in the center. She tried to move but found that she couldn't.

Shaking her head to get the cobwebs out, Tara looked at the sleeping figure of Willow whose body was place at an angle on a table while her hands and feet were tied down by green bindings of magical energy. Tara then looked at herself and found that she was in the same state.

"Will" said Tara as she turned to her girlfriend who made a noise before opening her eyes.

"I'm gonna be sick" said Willow before she shook her head, "teleportation spell."

"I know" said Tara as she watched Willow struggle against the bindings, "Will, don't…. those can only be taken off by the one who casted the spell. And try not to use any magic, those bindings absorb magic and…"

"So knowledgeable" said a male voice as Willow's eyes went wide while Tara tried to look back over her shoulder at whoever was coming through the door that just opened behind her."

"Rack" said Willow with venom in her voice.

'Rack' thought Tara to herself as she looked at Willow, 'the same warlock Willow told me about, the one she went to with Amy for dark magicks.'

"What're you doing, Rack?" asked Willow as she tried to struggle, "what…"

"Oh Shut up" said another female voice as Willow's and Tara's eyes opened wide. Tara knew she heard the woman's voice only once, but it was seared into her memory. But she knew that Willow had known the Witch who walked into the room, and closed the door behind her, for much longer.

"Damn it, Amy" said Willow, "what the heck are you doing?"

"Just having my revenge" said Amy as she walked towards Willow and ran her fingers up the redhead's arm and then touched the binding. A spark of green energy leapt from the binding to Amy's hand before she stepped back and smiled, "such power."

"Amy" said Willow, "this is stupid."

"Willow" said Tara shaking her head.

"Shut up" said Amy as she looked at Tara, before she nodded at Rack, "you're his."

"What?" asked Willow as Tara looked at Rack, a scraggly haired, older man who was smiling at Tara as he walked towards her, "Rack… don't you dare… Rack!"

"You had everything" said Amy as she walked towards Willow, "now listen. You had everything.. all the power… everything.. I felt you growing so much without training that… damn it! You were.. are better than me. I want that power. I want people to come to me… not to you… not to you!"

Amy then calmed down and stepped back while glaring at Willow.

"I've had to do so much more just to be half as good as you" said Amy while Willow struggled against the bindings while Tara shook her head in fear while Rack was reaching for her chest, "but you… you're growing everyday without knowing it. I want that… I want that power until you're drained."

"And this one" said Rack as Willow looked at the fear in Tara's eyes, "I feel her purity… so pure. I want a taste… I want to walk in her soul."

"No!" shouted Willow as Rack put his hand into Tara's chest as the blonde witch arched her back and screamed. Over Willow's shouts and Tara's screams, Amy was smiling and Rack was laughing as white magical energy travelled up his hand while at the same time he was looking through Tara's memories. He saw her playing with her mother, he saw her mother training Tara, then the day of her death… he then had flashes of memories of Tara being abused by her father, brother and Cousin. He saw her meet Willow for the first time as something clicked in the young woman…. He saw her become more self confident, more in control than she had ever been. He saw all of her memories with Willow, and then he went on to the memories of meeting Major Sheppard for the first time.

Rack then pulled out his hand smiling at Tara who had stopped screaming and was now panting while hanging her head.

"I knew you tasted like vanilla" said Rack as Willow screamed at Rack to drop head. Laughing the man then turned to Willow and wondered aloud what Strawberry and Vanilla would taste like together.

"No" said Tara softly as she looked up as Willow screamed when Rack put his hand into her chest while red coloured energy travelled up his hand.

"Give me a taste" said Amy.

"Here" said Rack as he placed his hand on Amy's chest while red and white energy leapt from the warlock's hand into Amy who arched her back and opened her mouth with euphoria. Tara looked on as Willow screamed while Amy's eyes turned black as she rose into the air and was plastered onto the ceiling while she was rubbing her hands all over herself, at the same time saying that it was her best experience ever.

Smiling Rack took his hand out of Willow's chest and stepped back. Turing around, he looked at Tara and told her that she was a rarity. Her magic was so pure, it was rare.

"And people like rare, they pay a lot for rare" said Rack as he extracted some of Tara's magical energy, and then put his hands together as the energy mixed with Willow's, and then with his.. and finally.. with some of the dark magic he hoarded. Tara looked on as he laughed before putting it into Willow.

"No!" shouted Tara as Willow arched her back as her eyes turned black while she pulled her head back while screaming in pleasure. Rack then stepped back and watched as Willow pulled her head back down and gave a seductive smile.

"Goddess" said Willow as she moaned, "that was so good…. Wow."

Willow could hear herself speak, she wanted to stop as she looked at the horror on Tara's face… but she couldn't stop. The sensation she was getting from being injected with the mixture of magic was too much.

"Umm" said Rack as he looked at the moaning Willow and then at Tara, "not enough."

"No" said Tara as she struggled as Rack stopped and just looked at Tara.

"I've been thinking" said Rack as he approached Tara while Willow was moaning for more, "having you with all this white magic would mean I lose money."

"No" said Tara as Rack placed his hand over her chest.

"I'll take enough to last years" said Rack, "and then I'll corrupt you like I did my strawberry. You'll be my vanilla."

"Vanilla" laughed the high Willow as she hung her head before looking up and begging Rack to give her another hit.

"Me too" laughed Amy from the ceiling.

"Soon" said Rack as she looked at Willow, before he turned to Tara again, "now where were we? Oh… right."

Tara screamed out loud as Rack extracted Tara's magic.

The blonde witch could see a white ball growing in Rack's hand as she continued to scream due to the pain of her magic being forcefully extracted. What seemed like hours to Tara, it was only a few seconds as the pain vanished.

"Thank you" said Rack as he carried the white glowing orb to a wooden chest which he opened with magic. He then carefully placed it in the chest before locking it and waving his hands, making it vanish into thin air. He then walked back towards Tara as black energy jumped before one of his hands to another. Tara watched in fear as the magical energy jumping from one hand to the next became faster and faster before he turned and shot a surge of black magical energy into Willow who screamed in pleasure while begging for more.

"Willow" begged Tara crying as the redhead laughed, at the same time trying to move her hands while using her magic, which in turn was being absorbed by the bindings around her wrists and feet. Tara saw Willow's bindings glowing brighter and brighter as her magic was being absorbed. But Tara knew that Willow was absorbing dark magic, the blonde witch knew what Dark magic made the redhead do.. and she feared for her girlfriend.

Tara then saw Rack looking back at her with a grin.

"Can't have another source of white magic out there" said Rack as he walked towards her, "don't worry though, your body will generate white magic in a few days… purifying your body. Like I said, you're rare. But once I run out, I'll come for you again… you and my strawberry can't escape me. After you get hit.. hell… I bet that you'll come back for more on your own. But I'll say no… to you at least. My Strawberry though, she's welcome anytime."

"Rack" said a moaning Willow as she looked at Tara through her black eyes. Tara could tell that the redhead was doing everything she could to stay in control, she could tell the redhead was already high, but trying her best to keep her mind intact, "I… I…. give me more… no…. stop… you.. you hurt her, I… I… will kill you.."

"Small threat" said Rack as he gave Willow another burst of dark magic that made her moan ever more. He then brought his hands forward towards the blonde witch and fired a burst of dark magic into Tara. Tara screamed as her eyes, just like Willow and Amy, became as black as night. The dark magic coursing through her body as it set off every known pleasurable sensation in her body at once. Tara screamed in pleasure, but she retained enough control to beg Rack to stop. She kept on screaming in pleasure and begging the warlock to stop. This went on until she was telling Rack to give her more dark magic.

"Rack" said Willow as she looked at her girlfriend writhing on the table, her eyes as black as night; black because of the intense dark magic Rack was pouring into her. Rack kept on mocking Tara that he was making her impure until her body cleaned itself off the darkness using her own pure white magic, "st… stop."

"Willow! Tara!"

"Tara!"

Rack stopped what he was doing just as Tara's scream stopped and she hung her head down. He then heard the sounds of grunting as if someone was fighting outside, before the door to his room was smashed open thanks to one of his customers bring thrown through it.

"I told him I had an appointment" said Buffy as she ran into the room followed by Daniel and Major Sheppard who had their weapons raised at Rack while looking around before noticing Amy on the ceiling laughing while still writhing.

"Let them go" said the Major as he and Daniel then looked at Rack.

"Guns" said Rack calmly as he waved his arms and the guns vanished from their hands just as Buffy gave Rack a punch which pushed him back. Wiping the blood that was coming off his nose, rack looked at Buffy as the Major waved his hand and the warlock was thrown against the room until he hit a wall hard and slid down.

"Ok" said the Major as he looked at his sister who looked back at him with black eyes, "get them down."

"Will" said Buffy as she ran to Willow who looked at her with her own black eyes, "oh Will, what did he do?"

"Let them go" said Daniel as he looked at the warlock.

"Don… don't look at me" said Tara softly as she closed her eyes and turned her face away from the Major.

"It's ok" said the Major as he reached for the energy bindings which only managed to shock him as he jumped back.

"You can have them back, for now" said Rack as he waved his hand as Tara's bindings vanished and she fell towards the floor, but was instantly caught by Major Sheppard.

"Put hands around my neck, Tara" said the Major as he picked her up into his arms while she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to scare her brother away with something that he hadn't seen before. As for Willow's bindings, they solidified before flying into Rack's hands. Willow slid to the floor, but before she could fall… Buffy caught her.

Rack then waved his hand as Amy vanished from his ceiling.

He then smiled at the group in front of him and said that it was time they left his establishment. Rack was about to wave his hands, to make the group vanish when he realized he couldn't move.

"No" said Willow with a hard voice as she pushed Buffy away in anger and held the warlock in place by raising her hand.

"Willow" said Buffy as she tried to pull Willow back, "no… don't do this."

"He… he threatened me and Tara" said Willow in rage as her hair became jet black right in front of them while Rack looked around confused, "he'll always come after us… he'll always do this to her… not anymore!"

"Willow!" shouted Buffy as the redhead brought her other hand up, and with all the rage she felt… she spread her hands away from each other and screamed. The others watched helplessly as Rack's jacket, shirt, trousers and skin was torn in half away from his body. All that remained was a mass of muscle that collapsed onto the carpet as Willow fell back into Buffy's arms.

"Dear god" said Buffy as she looked at the horrific sight in front of her, and then at her best friend, and then again at the mass that used to be Rack, "what did she do?"

"What she had to do" said Major Sheppard as he looked at Buffy, with Tara in his arms while Daniel took Willow from the blonde Slayer's shaking hands and carried her in his arms.

"She killed someone in cold blood" said Buffy as she turned to Daniel and the Major, "how.. how can she get back from that?"

"With your help" said Daniel as he looked at Buffy, and then at Willow who was sleep in his arms.

"She did what she had to do to protect Tara" said Major Sheppard, "from what I understand, you're fighting a supernatural war. In any war there are casualties, and this man was the enemy."

Buffy just looked back at the mess, and shook her head before quietly telling them that they needed to get out of there.

"Yeah" said the Major as he turned around with Tara in his arms, "let's go."

TBC.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Sunnydale Army Base, 1420 hours.**

While concerned about Major Sheppard, and what was happening with his sister, McKay was still working in the hanger that all his equipment was located. He was moving from one screen to another that showed readings that were being taken of Sunnydale in conjunction with the scanners on the Prometheus. He heard Dr. Weir talking to Major Sheppard about the white van that exploded and he secretly hoped that nothing would happen to his friend. Dr. Weir then had Dr. Beckett, and a few other soldiers from the Army base go to the Summers house following the explosion to help with any injuries, and to provide security for the house.

The scientist then sighed when Major Sheppard called in saying that he and Daniel retrieved Tara, and that that they were heading back to the Summers house. Dr. Weir then asked him if she, and Willow, were injured. McKay turned towards Dr. Weir who was speaking on a phone saying that Dr. Beckett should be at the Summers house soon before she put the phone back down and told Major Davis that she needed to be there too. McKay listened while Major Davis told the dark haired diplomat that they had Warren Mears in their custody and that he was being brought back for questioning; that in the meantime, they would decide what to do with him given that he was technically dead.

While listening to the conversation, McKay turned to look at another monitor which suddenly started beeping. Standing up and heading towards the monitor, he looked at the readings and the lines of numbers that appeared before he opened his eyes wide. McKay then went rushing past Dr. Weir and Major Davis towards another screen while mumbling 'it can't be'.

"Rodney?" asked Dr. Weir as she watched McKay lean of over a computer and type on the keyboard before he ran to another one, "Rodney?"

"Hold on" said McKay as Dr. Weir and Major Davis walked up to him while he was looking at another screen while typing. He then rushed to another computer while Dr. Weir frowned, the woman knowing too well how McKay would get when his mind was occupied.

"Rodney" said a calm Dr. Weir, "what've you found?"

"It's not possible" said McKay as he rushed past Dr. Weir and Major Davis again to another bank of computers and monitors. Following the man, Dr. Weir and Major Davis saw him type on a keyboard before he stepped back and a monitor activated to show Colonel Carter looking back at them from the Prometheus. McKay was panting but just as the Colonel was about to open her mouth, McKay interrupted her, "Sam, I know the whole thing with watching Major Sheppard is done, but I just sent you data from the passive scans I took using the Prometheus' scanners…. Do you see what I see?"

"Hold on" said the Colonel as she asked one of the personnel on the ship to put the results of McKay's scans on her screen. The Colonel then saw a map of Sunnydale, along with streams of data superimposed on the map. Colonel Carter then looked at the half of the screen that had McKay's face before looking at the half of the screen that had the map of Sunnydale.

"How's that possible?" asked the Colonel.

"That's what I just asked" said McKay.

"Rodney, Colonel Carter" said Dr. Weir, "what's going on?"

"There's an interesting energy signature in the city" said Colonel Carter, "it's similar to the same energy signature given off by an object we've encountered before."

"A quantum mirror" said McKay as Dr. Weir and Major Davis looked at the two scientists.

"We experimented on the one we had… the same one that Daniel went through; the same one that an alternate version of me used to come to this reality" said Colonel Carter, "while we were never sure of how it worked, we detected energy emissions when it was activated. Of course we destroyed the mirror because it was unpredictable.. anyone, or anything could have come through… but we gathered what data we could first."

'I looked through that data before leaving for Atlantis" said McKay as he pointed at the map of Sunnydale, "and it's the same… except this energy emission is coming from the entire city."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Major Davis.

"The emissions are similar, but not exactly the same as the quantum mirror Area 51 was experimenting on. The emissions coming from this are on a massive scale" said the Colonel, "Area 51 experimented on the Mirror for two years before it was finally destroyed; but we theorized it had it's own power source but this…. I don't know how it's being powered."

"The epicentre's at…" said McKay as he zoomed in on the scanners.

"The High School" said Colonel Carter, "I'm looking at it right now, it's been totally destroyed. I'm detecting explosive residue… a bomb?"

"Colonel Carter" said Dr. Weir, who stopped talking when she noticed the Colonel was looking somewhere off-screen before looking back at her, Major Davis and McKay, "Colonel?"

"We've got six more pings around the world" said the Colonel, "Cleveland, Easter Island, Rome, Abuja.. but those reading aren't as massive as the one from Sunnydale."

"Why haven't we noticed this before, ma'am?" asked Major Davis.

"We never ran a full scan on Earth" said the Colonel, "without these updated sensors, we wouldn't have found these signals… and we never really had a need to scan the planet since we assumed that all quantum mirror were off-world."

"Not until I thought that maybe there was something here that caused Major Sheppard to have a reaction" said McKay as he looked at Dr. Weir, "I mean to the Ancient gene."

"You think this energy could be… what? Supercharging his gene?" asked Dr. Weir.

"I don't know" said McKay.

"You'd need to beam him out to the Prometheus, or somewhere else to make sure" said Colonel Carter.

"He just found his sister after she was kidnapped" said Dr. Weir, "let's give him some time, but I'll still have Dr. Becket give him a full physical once all of this is over."

"Ummmm…. I wonder…" said the Colonel as everyone looked back at her while she was looking somewhere off-screen. She then turned back to the screen and raised an eyebrow and telling the group that she had an idea, and that she'll be contacting them soon.

"Idea?" asked McKay, "about?"

'I'll get back to you" said the Colonel, "Carter out."

The screen turned off before a confused McKay looked back at Dr. Weir, and Major Davis. He then looked at the screen that showed the epicentre of the energy emissions being the High School.

"Elizabeth" said McKay, "I want to take a team to that school and check it out, maybe…"

"No" said Dr. Weir, and before McKay could say anything, she interrupted him by saying that they had no idea what was going on in the city. But she felt that since Buffy and her friends were more familiar with the going on in the city, then they'd be the best people to ask.

"Oh come on" said an exasperated McKay, 'this isn't some magic voodoo thing… this is a scientific curiosity. Our systems just proved that this has something to do with possible Ancient technology."

"Possible" said Major Davis, "it's only possible, Dr. McKay."

"Ok" said the scientist as he stood up straight smugly, "we'll ask them if this is what? A gateway into a demon universe that's somehow been accessed by alien technology and.. oh… yeah… it's releasing energy into this city."

"We'll leave out the aliens" said Dr. Weir, "we'll get your computer after we've checked on Mr. Mears blood work. It's time we talked to these people."

"Dr. Weir" said Major Davis, "we can't involve the Slayer in this."

"Major" said Dr. Weir, "am I right in understanding that we can't recruit her?"

'Yes" said the Major.

"Then we're not recruiting her" said Dr. Weir, "We're just going to ask some questions which …"

"Is related to a member of the Air Force who also happens to a member of a classified project" said the Major finishing Dr. Weir's sentence.

"Exactly" said Dr. Weir.

**The Summers Residence, ten minutes later.**

It was only minutes ago that Giles had seen another van pull up to Buffy's house before five people, one of whom was carrying a backpack and carrying two large metal cases, walked up the walkway and then into the house. Giles stood up as one of the soldiers walked in after identifying himself as Sergeant Daniels and then introduced the other soldiers. He told the older man that they were going to be guarding them until it was confirmed that the person they captured was really Warren.

"We'll just be bothering you for a night, sir" the soldier who identified himself as Sergeant Ayers. He then introduced Dr. Beckett who had placed his metal cases on the floor next to the staircase before he walked into the living room where Xander, Dawn and Giles were located.

"Thank you, sergeant" said Dr. Beckett before he put down his bag and shook Giles' hand, "I'm Carson Becket, I'm a doctor.. do you have any injuries?"

"I'm alright" said Giles, "just some cuts from the glass, but maybe you could see to Dawn first."

"Come on, lass" said Dr. Beckett as he reached out to Dawn who grabbed his hand, "how about we go sit in the living room while I take a look at you?"

While the doctor was examining Dawn, Sergeant Ayers gave orders to his people to establish a perimeter, while another van from the army base headed for the burning van, as well as a fire truck and an ambulance that could be spared since the majority of the units were still at the bombed police station. IT took a few more minutes before two police car went to the burning van, followed by another vehicle… this time a jeep and turned into the driveway.

The two guards from SG-3 looked on as Major Sheppard rushed out, followed by Daniel from the passenger side, and the hurriedly opened the rear doors before he picked up his sister into his arms and then ran towards the entrance.

"Is Dr. Beckett here?"

"Yes, sir" said one of the SG members as he opened the door to Sergeant Ayers who was in the foyer talking to Giles while Dr. Beckett was looking over Xander, with Dawn sitting on another chair at the dining table.

"Doc! Mr. Giles" said Major Sheppard as he rushed in with Tara, followed by Buffy who told him to take her upstairs and then go to the last room on the left.

"My word" said Giles as Daniel rushed in with Willow in his arms, the two young women unconscious, as he and the Major rushed them up the stairs, "Buffy, what happened?"

"Doc" shouted Major Sheppard from the top of the stairs before Buffy could answer, "we need you up here."

"I'm alright" said Xander as he stood up and walked over to the bottom of the stairs while Dr. Beckett, Buffy, and then Giles ran up the stairs and rushed to the left. In the meantime, Sergeant Ayers was left downstairs with Xander and Dawn who walked over to the living room. Xander sighed, and then asked Dawn to take a seat before the sergeant told him that he'll be checking in with his people. Xander nodded his head, and when he headed out the door, Xander turned and told Dawn that he'll have to make a call from the living room.. that since Warren had pretty much ruined their door, and the windows.. not to mention the bullet holes in the walls.. he needed to call some of his contacts and get estimates on the materials he'll need.

"Wont the police.. you know… need to come by and check the place out?" asked Dawn as she looked at Xander.

"Yea" he said, "but I need to ask my guys to get the stuff ready so that I can pick it up, you know."

"You don't have to do this now" said Dawn softly.

"I need to keep my mind occupied" said Xander, "I wanted to bury her tomorrow, but… Warren changed those plans. I need to get these things fixed, at least get the windows boarded or.. you know, bugs get into the house and you know how you're afraid of bugs; and… and I.. I need to think about what I can say to apologize to her, you know."

"Xand" said Dawn as Xander shook his head, smiled at Dawn, and then headed to the living room.

Meanwhile, Major Sheppard placed Tara on one side of the bed while Daniel gently placed Willow on the other side of the bed. The two young women were unconscious as they lay still. While Giles was asking Buffy what happened in one side of the room, Major Sheppard and Daniel stepped back as Dr. Beckett rushed forward and checked their pulse, heart beat and their breathing. Glad that all of that was normal, so far, he took out a pen light and opened Tara's eye lid, only go flinch slightly at what he saw before tuning and asking if he knew Tara's eyes were black.

"And" said Dr. Beckett as he got up while the others watched while he checked Willow's eyes too. He then frowned and asked them what was going on, and if they had done some kind of a drug that he wasn't aware of.

"To be honest" said Giles, "at least based on Buffy, the Major and Dr. Jackson finding them where they did… it can be described as a drug."

"Ok" said Dr. Beckett.

"Rack is a warlock" said Giles as the doctor looked at him before shifting his weight on another leg and raising his hand, as if wanting to ask a question.

"Warlock? Wait… you mean like a…"

"A male witch" said Daniel as Dr. Beckett turned back to the man behind him, "Buffy told us on the way there."

"O…k" said the doctor as he turned to Giles again, "and this Rack person is a warlock who sells drugs?"

"He's a dealer in dark magic" said Giles before he went on to tell the doctor that the black eyes mean that the both of them were infected with dark magic recently, "he is very powerful, and he had a lot of dark magic in his disposal. Willow… Willow went to him a few times. It was the lowest point in her life before she started to build it back together with our help. TO have it done to her again, and having the same thing happen to Tara while they were together.. watching it happen to each other… I cannot imagine."

"Willow took care of him" said Daniel as Giles looked at him confused.

'Took care? As in?" asked Giles.

"She defended her friend" said Major Sheppard as he looked at Willow, and then at Buffy and Giles, "I guess she knew that he'd keep coming after her and Tara, and he'd keep on doing what he was doing to the both of them."

"I see" said Giles as he took off his glasses and wiped them before putting them on again.

"Giles?" asked Buffy as Giles put his hand gently on her shoulder while he talked to the doctor.

"It will take some time to get out of their system, doctor" said Giles, "may I suggest you do what you'd usually do when dealing with… I mean…."

"I'll keep an eye out on their heart rate, breathing and other vitals" said Dr. Becket, "I have my equipment downstairs, as well as some fluids to keep them hydrated. I just need some help to bring then up here."

"Buffy?" asked Giles as he nodded his head.

"Come on" said Buffy as she led Dr. Beckett out of the room, and left Daniel, Major Sheppard, and Giles alone.

"She was working hard to recover from her last bout with this addiction" said Giles to himself, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't alone before he looked at Daniel, "you won't…."

"We're not the Initiative, Dr. Giles" said Daniel, "I can't tell you exactly what it is that these guys do since it's classified, but.. let's just say that we only just got some information on the Initiative, and the head of the organization I belong to was in existence back then, we'd have made sure Professor Walsh would have been taken off the program. We're not going to experiment on them, or take them away… although we really want to know what really happened in the Initiative the day it fell."

"I'm guessing you were there?" asked the Major as Giles nodded his head. It was then that Buffy came in carrying two cases effortlessly while Dr. Beckett walked in with his backpack in his hand. He then put the pack down and started to attach the machines to first Willow, who Daniel said seemed the most tired.. and the doctor agreed, before attaching the I.V line to the top of her hand. He then attached the I.V to Tara's hand before attaching the leads from another monitor to Tara's chest. Everyone watched as wavy lines appeared n the monitors of both the young women, followed by various other numbers that they didn't understand. The doctor then checked both of their blood pressures before telling Giles and the others that it was a bit high, but that was probably because of what just happened.

"I suggest we let them sleep" said Dr. Beckett, "I'll check in on them every hour."

"I'll be here" said Major Sheppard.

"Me too" said Buffy as she looked at Willow, and then at Tara, "what happens to Warren now?"

"He's not getting off easy" said the Major, "attempted murder of Dawn, Mr. Giles and Xander; murder of your friend, murder of the six soldiers in the other van, attempted murder of me, Dr. Jackson, you, and the other three soldiers in the other van… yeah, he's going away for a long time."

"But since he's technically dead" said Daniel.

"We may have a place to hold him" replied Major Sheppard as Buffy nodded her head.

"Alright" said the doctor as he took some notes, "everyone out, let these two rest. Miss Summers, I'd like to take a look at where you were injured and…"

Buffy was about to say something, but Dr. Beckett quickly interrupted her.

"And yes I know Major Sheppard healed you" he said, "but I'll still need to make sure that you're fully healthy. And Mr. Giles, I've already checked on the younger Miss Summers, and Mr. Harris… so after Buffy, it will be your turn. You still have those cuts that need to be looked at."

"Very well" said Giles as they walked out of the room, leaving Daniel and Major Sheppard watching over the two young women.

"Witches" said Daniel, "if you'd have told me this years ago, I'd say you're joking."

"But given what we do for a living?" said the Major as he walked towards Tara and gently held her hand, "it's normal. Well… except for McKay."

"Yeah" said Daniel with a smirk, "I'm waiting for his head to explode."

The Major smiled before he leaned over and brushed his hand over Tara's forehead.

"You'll be alright, sis." said the Major before he turned around and sat down on the floor next to the bed.

"I'll call Jack" said Daniel, "since we'll be placing Tara under Home World's protection, I'll ask him if he could spring for a new door, and windows after what just happened."

"Thanks" said the Major as he nodded at Daniel before he looked over his left should at Tara's face, and then he turned and leaned back on the side of the bed, 'we gotta visit dad, Tara. I'm sure he'll want to know that he has a daughter. S you recover, and then we go… I'll take a few more days off if I have to.'

TBC.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Tara and Willow's Room, The Summers Residence, 1630 hours.**

Tara and Willow were holding on to each other tightly as they were sitting on a beach under the warm sunlight. However, although it was warm and the two of them were sweating, Tara and Willow were still shivering as if their bodies were as cold as ice. Willow, whose hair and eyes were still black, was crying as she tightly held on to her sobbing black eyed girlfriend while telling Tara how sorry she was that she ever met Rack.

"Please forgive me, baby" said Willow as her tears fell on Tara's shoulder, "all of this is my fault. If I never went the whole addicted on magic thing then… then this wouldn't have happened. What he did to you… what he threatened to do… oh God, I'm so sorry."

Tara could only hold on to Willow ever more tightly as the both of them cried on each other's shoulders. The blonde witch could feel as if she was in a daze as she recalled Rack injecting her with massive doses of dark magic, and then even forcibly pulling out some of her own white magic and keeping it locked away. She remembered that Buffy, Daniel, and Major Sheppard arrived to rescue them; she remembered looking away from the Major, not wanting her brother to see her like she was… fearful that he'll walk away from her. Since then, the both of them had been on this beach in the comfort of each other's arms.

It took some time but the both of them slowly started to feel warm, they could finally feel the sunlight hitting their bodies before they looked at each other. Willow gave a small smile when she saw Tara's eyes slowly revert to their original colour, before Tara wiped her own tears away followed by Willow's and told the redhead that she was back to normal as well.

"I'm so sorry, Tara" said Willow as she shook her head, "I… I did something… something horrible."

Tara suspected she knew what Willow was going to say; before losing consciousness, the blonde witch felt a surge of dark magic coming from nearby… and the closest source of that surge could have only been Willow.

"I… I killed Rack" said Willow as Tara closed her eyes while holding on to her hands tightly, "he… he was going to keep on coming after you… he was going to continue to cause you pain…. To cause us pain and…. and I'm sorry. I lost control…. I.. I've been losing control for a long time and…. what… what have I done?"

Tara looked at Willow's anguished face before she gave the redhead a tight hug as she cried on the blonde witch's shoulder.

"I'm sorry" said the redhead between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

"You…. you saved me" said Tara as she closed her eyes tight while holding on to Willow, "you… you did what you had to do and…"

Tara wondered what would have happened if the situation was different. What would have happened if she, instead of Willow, was the one who lashed out uncontrollably, what she would have done then?

'I don't know if I could have killed him' thought Tara, 'I'd have injured him, or… could I kill? But Willow's the one that killed him, and I know that she did it to save us.. to protect us.. but… but killing changes a person inside and she killed out of darkness. But I can't run away…. I won't run away from her. I now know what she's been through and… and I won't leave her.'

"We'll work on this together" said Tara as she continued to hug Willow who nodded her head on the blonde's shoulder.

At the same time, in the room where Tara and Willow were lying on a bed together while the machines were beeping steadily, Major Sheppard was in the room holding on to Tara's hand while Buffy was on the other side of the bed with Willow's hands in her own.

"I never thought this would happen again" said Buffy softly as she looked at Willow.

"What?" asked the Major as he looked at the blonde.

"This whole dark magic thing" said Buffy before looking at the Major and shaking her head, "I'm not saying that it's Willow's fault.. I mean it kinda is for how far she took it… but we didn't do anything to stop her. We knew what was going on but we thought that she could handle it.. you know? I guess I played the biggest part in why she's like this."

"I'm lost" said the Major as Buffy turned to look at Willow again before she brushed away some of the redhead's hair from her forehead.

"Magic" said Buffy, "it began when we met I guess. She wanted to help me in any way she could and…. and I guess I encouraged it. She wanted to learn magic to help and.. and she did. She used a very powerful spell that restored something that a friend of mine lost; she was the first in two hundred years to do that spell and she.. she did it. She grew from there, and she helped us fight back one apocalypse after another. She got into it more when she met Tara."

Major Sheppard then looked at Tara and held the blonde witch's hand tight while rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb.

"She was nervous the first time we met her" said Buffy as she looked at Tara, "Willow was hiding her from us because she was… I mean not hiding as in they have…. Anyway, change of topic… Tara was more responsible with magic, but Willow was becoming more powerful every day. Then she started to use magic to do simple things; like when she'd want to use her magic to clean up her room, or the Magic Box after a hell of a Halloween sale. Tara knew that something was wrong, but I guess she too thought that Willow could handle it. And then.. something happened… something changed with her. She started… Willow, I mean… she… she's not a bad person."

"Never said she was" said Major Sheppard.

"Willow's afraid of losing" said Buffy as she looked at Major Sheppard, who looked back at her, "she's so afraid of losing that sometimes she does things without thinking."

Buffy was referring to the times when Willow made Tara forget their arguments over the former's misuse of magic; however Buffy didn't specifically want to tell the Major the details.

"Whatever happened" continued Buffy, "Tara had to go away for a little while and…"

"They broke up" said the Major as he looked at the surprise evident on Buffy's face, "yeah, I know about them… it's kinda obvious."

"Oh" said Buffy as she looked back at Willow, "Tara broke up with Willow because of what she did, but… but even that didn't stop Willow from misusing magic. She got a new partner, Amy…"

"The same one who kidnapped her?" asked the Major as Buffy nodded her head, "oh."

"Amy introduced Willow to Rack and… and… then Willow reached the lowest point in her life" said Buffy softly, "I was working, and Willow was supposed to take Dawn out for a movie. On the way there they stopped by Rack's place, Willow got high on dark magic which released some demon near where they were. She and Dawn ran into a car to escape that demon and…. and well, you know what happens when you're high and driving right?"

"She crashed the car?"

"Nearly killed Dawn" said Buffy, "lucky all she got was a broken arm. But that's what changed everything for Willow. She promised no more magic, and she kept her promise. She saw the look on Dawn's face and something…. I was away for nearly a year… I mean something happened to me and…. look, all you need to know is that Tara and Willow looked after Dawn. That year? That year, Tara and Willow looked after Dawn… they love her and Dawn loves the both of them. So you can imagine how Willow must have felt when she saw the look on Dawn's face after the crash."

'Yea" said the Major.

"It was hard for her" said Buffy as she looked at Willow, "kinda like relearning how to do things again without magic, but she did it. She was magic free for nearly two months before she and Tara got back together. Then the next day we met you."

It was just then that Dr. Beckett walked back into the room to tell Major Sheppard that Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay and Major Davis just arrived. Major Sheppard nodded his head and told Dr. Beckett that they'll be right down. Nodding his head, Dr. Beckett left the room as Major Sheppard stood up before placing Tara's hand next to her body.

**Living Room, the Summers Residence, 1645 hours.**

Dr. Weir, McKay and Major Davis just walked into the Summers home after Xander opened the door and the guards outside from SG-3 confirmed who they were, as did Daniel who met the small group as they got out of their SUV and had accompanied them into the house. Dr. Weir looked around at the bullet holes, that had splintered parts of the door, the walls, and shattered the windows before she looked into the living room where there was a young brunette girl sitting down while another man was holding on to her shoulders.

"Hello" said Dr. Weir as she looked at the older man who walked into the foyer while putting on his glasses, "I'm Dr. Elizabeth Weir."

"Dr. Rupert Giles" said the man as he shook her hand before introducing Dawn who gave her a small wave from the living room, "and I'm sure you've met Xander?"

'Yes" said Dr. Weir before introducing McKay, who had a backpack on him, and then introducing Major Davis who shook the man's hand.

It was then that they heard a door at the top of the stairs close before Dr. Beckett walked down the stairs and nodded at Dr. Weir.

"Elizabeth" said Major Sheppard as he walked down the stairs with Buffy behind him.

"Major" said Dr. Weir as she nodded up the stairs, "are they alright?"

"Yea" said Major Sheppard, "we need to talk about what happened. But before we do, this is Buffy."

"Hello" said a surprised Dr. Weir as she shook Buffy's hand, "I'm sorry I expected… I mean…."

'Yea" said Buffy shrugging her shoulders, "not everyone expects a peppy former cheerleader to be the slayer of demons and vampires."

"You're a Slayer?" asked McKay in disbelief, "really?"

"She can lift you up with one arm, McKay" said Major Sheppard as he patted McKay on the shoulder before walking past him while Buffy looked at him with an eyebrow raised. It was then he saw the look on the Slayers face that she could really lift him up with one arm before he walked to the living room where he placed his backpack on the table in front of Dawn.

"What's that?" asked Dawn.

"My stuff" said McKay.

"What's in it?" asked Dawn as she looked up at McKay.

"A laptop" said McKay as he took out his laptop, which was wirelessly connected to the computers in the Sunnydale base, which were in turn connected to the Prometheus' sensor arrays. The man then typed something on the keyboard as Major Sheppard, Daniel, Giles, Dr. Weir, Dr. Beckett, Buffy, Major Davis and Xander walked onto the living room where Dr. Weir asked Major Sheppard what happened exactly with his sister.

"Well, I told you that someone used magic to kidnap them" said the Major as Dr. Weir nodded her head, "well, I didn't exactly tell you why."

"Yes" said Dr. Weir, "which goes back to my question of why were your sister and her friend taken."

"Tara… well, she doesn't just know about magic" said Major Sheppard as McKay looked up at him from his computer screen.

"Oh don't tell me you think she's a witch?" asked McKay in disbelief.

"Witches do exist, Dr. McKay" said Giles, "as do monsters, vampires, demons, hell dimensions… every nightmare that you can think about exists out there in the world."

"Well" said McKay before Dr. Weir, or anyone else for that matter, could speak up as he turned the laptop screen around to face the Scoobies, "maybe it's all this energy over this town that's causing mass hallucinations, or hysteria, or something."

"Rodney" said Dr. Weir as she rubbed her forehead.

"Elizabeth" said the scientist, "you know what I'm telling you is the truth. All of this that's going on is because of this energy field and…."

"Oh dear lord" said Giles as he leaned forward and saw a map of Sunnydale covered with the energy field, along with a stream of numbers at one corner of the monitor, "how did you detect this?"

"We have some very sensitive satellites in space that we use to detect a spectrum of energy emissions from stars thousands of light years away" said Major Davis as he remembered the cover story to tell them if they ever asked how they received their information, "when we heard about what happened to Major Sheppard, our first thought was that it could be something environmental that's affecting the Major. So we retasked one of those satellites and started scanning the planet for any odd energy emissions."

"And this is what we found" said McKay, "and it's not just here."

Giles eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw the other regions with the same energy emissions, and he couldn't believe it.

"You are joking, right?" asked Giles in a serious tone of voice as he looked at McKay who suddenly gulped before he looked at Dr. Weir, who herself was looking at the sudden change in the older man's demeanour.

"Giles?" asked Dawn as she looked at the screen, and then up at the older man who put his glasses down on the table, "what's wrong?"

"Yeah?" asked Buffy and Xander.

"Cleveland, Easter island, Rome, Abuja" said Giles as he looked at Buffy and Xander, "those are the locations of the other Hellmouths."

"What?" asked Buffy as she looked at the energy emissions on the screen. There was a spinning model of the Earth that showed the five places where the unique energy reading were coming from as the Slayer leaned forward and looked at the location where the energy emission seemed to be the strongest, "Sunnydale."

"Hellmouth?" asked Major Davis.

"A Hellmouth is a confluence of mystical energy" said Giles while Dr. Weir and the others listened intently, "it's a place where the barriers between the dimensions, particularly hell dimensions, are at the weakest. It's where portals can be created that releases energy, dark energy, into the environment.. and it's that energy that attracts the supernatural to Sunnydale."

"You are kidding" said McKay as he sat down and rubbed his head in frustration.

"Please, Mr. Giles" said Dr. Weir as she frowned at McKay before asked the older man to continue. Giles was surprised by the group's reaction, particularly that they either had no reaction to what he was telling them or that their reactions were severely muted. However, he still continued to tell them about the Hellmouth, and that Buffy's role was to guard the Hellmouth… to prevent anything from coming through, and to keep anyone or anything from opening the Hellmouth.

"What happens when it is opened?" asked Major Davis.

"You're looking at the end of the world" said Buffy as everyone looked at her, "so no experimenting on the Hellmouth, or trying to open it."

"The Hellmouth was located right over the school library" said Giles.

"We know that's was the epicentre of the energy emissions" said Dr. Weir.

"We kinda had to blow it up" said Xander, "snake problem."

"Uh huh" said Daniel nodding his head. This was something that Buffy hadn't told him, but he wasn't sure if Major Sheppard knew anything and made a mental note to ask him about it later. Giles told them that the energy released by the Hellmouth not only attracted the supernatural, but it could affect the laws of physics.

"How?" asked Major Davis while McKay just frowned.

"We had someone.. a student at the high school actually become invisible and go insane" said Giles, "she tried to attack me, Willow, Xander… nearly killed Buffy and her friend."

"Technically Cordelia was just an acquaintance" mumbled Buffy who then looked up with her eyes opened before telling them about the boy whose dreams came true, or the demon Moloch who came to life in the computer and had even a body made for itself so that it could try and rule the world, "even Dracula dropped by."

"Seriously?" asked McKay dryly before he looked at everyone else, and then looked at Buffy, "seriously?"

"He's gone now.. as in left Sunnydale" said Buffy shrugging her shoulders.

"Amazing" said Dr. Weir as she took a seat at the dining table, "what else can you tell me?"

"What happened to Willow and Tara" said Giles as the others sat down while McKay continued frowning at the screen, in disbelief at what he was hearing, "Buffy, Dr. Jackson, and Major Sheppard found the two of them at the shop of a warlock named Rack."

"Warlock?" asked Major Davis.

"Guy witch" said Xander as Dr. Weir nodded her head.

"Ah" she said before looking at Giles who continued to talk.

"He is a dealer in dark magic" said Giles, "dangerous magic. You see, magic is very addictive and people are trained in its use so it is the witch, or a warlock, who controls magic, and not the other way around. Some slowly come to think that magic can be used for anything, to solve any problems that life brings along… and that's when it becomes dangerous. Some use it so much that they get tapped out, and they lose that rush that magic affords them."

"That's when this Rack comes in?" said Major Davis as Giles nodded his head.

"His dark magics are potent" said Giles, "and… and it's addictive so you'll go back to him to get that high again. A witch's magic that's boosted with his own magic, how do you say, runs fast and runs hot."

"Like a drug" said Dr. Weir nodding her head.

"Willow and Tara are powerful witches" said Giles as he sat back, "Tara was already trained, so she knew the dangers of magic.. and she respected it. She'd rarely use it unless she absolutely had to. Willow though…. While Tara is already trained and powerful, Willow had the potential to be much more powerful than her. She is completely self thought and… and I should have given her some sort of training. Willow had a loss judgement, she went to see Rack and… he saw how powerful she could be; imagine a never-ending source of magical power. That's Willow."

"Both of them are exhausted and dehydrated, Elizabeth" said Dr. Beckett, "and… well, I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it but I was told that MISs Rosenberg's hard is red in colour, but when she came in, and still now, it's black.. same with her eyes. It's the same with Miss Maclay."

"That's a side effect of absorbing dark magic" said Giles, "the body reacts to that extra energy, gives them a high before it burns up and give them a low, and a craving. I don't think Tara's experienced something like that, but I believe that the both of them wouldn't be able to come of this unscathed."

"I'd recommend a full physical once the both of them are…" said Dr. Beckett just as Buffy interrupted him.

"What'll you do with the physical?" she asked.

"It's just to make sure they don't have any lasting effects from what happened to them" said Dr. Beckett, "and they can have it done at the local hospital. I'm a doctor and I just want to make sure they're healthy."

"We've had some experience with the military" said Giles as he recalled the conversations he had with Daniel in regards to the Initiative and what they did while Major Sheppard was staying with Tara, "and perhaps it would be better if.."

"Mr. Giles" said Dr. Weir, "we've already been told by the Watchers Council that we can't recruit Miss Summers, and we intend to abide by that. To be honest with you, we're neither planning to recruit Miss Rosenberg, or Tara into our organization without their permission; right now, we just want to make sure that they're alright."

"But I'll leave the physical examination up to Miss Rosenberg and Tara" said Dr. Beckett, "in the meantime, I've already placed them on another I.V bag and… well, it's going to take time for them to wake up."

"So" said Dr. Weir while McKay remained silent while occasionally glancing up at Buffy, "Mr. Giles, what role do you play in all this? Yourself and Mr. Harris?"

"I just fix stuff" said Xander as he looked at the window in the living room, "yeah, just fix stuff."

"Giles was my Watcher" said Buffy, "he ran the Magic Box, a store in town with…. with Anya and…"

"She's your friend?" asked Dr. Weir as she looked at Dawn, Buffy, and then the distracted look on Xander.

"My fiancée" said Xander softly.

"I am so sorry."

"You have Warren?" asked Xander softly, wanting to change the subject.

"Yes" said Major Davis, "we made sure that he's human; and we'll find out from him if there are any more of these robots lying around. I can guarantee you that he'll be gone for a very long time. He'll be locked up for murder and terrorism, but given that he's technically dead… it makes it easy to just put him into a hole and throw away the key."

"Amy?" asked Xander.

"Once Major Sheppard told us her full name" said Major Davis, "we checked her home address and… well, we found her lying on the floor. It was as if she was high or…"

"She was" said Major Sheppard, "Dr. Jackson and I saw her on the ceiling, and she acted like she was just dosed with drugs."

"Dr. Weir" said Giles, "Amy is a very talented, albeit rogue Witch. I do not believe you have the capability to hold her for long."

"We don't" said Dr. Weir, "which is why we'd like to ask you for any advice on how to deal with her."

"I know many covens who'd be able to help her" said Giles as he put his glasses on the table as Xander looked at him.

"No" said Xander as everyone looked at him, "that's too easy for her, Giles. None of us know what happened in Rack's place, but what we do know is that she kidnapped Tara and Willow. And then Buffy, John and Dr. Jackson found them.. found them just like that."

"She was in on it from the beginning" said Dawn softly.

"So no, Giles" said Xander, "no taking the easy way out for her… bind her powers… take it away from her."

"Can that be done?" asked Dr. Weir as even McKay looked up at the older man who sighed, "Dr. Giles, is it possible? I mean… I'm not even sure how magic works. Is it genetic or…"

"No" said Giles shaking his head, "anyone can wield magic, it's just a matter of how well they can wield it. Magic's all around us and many can mould that energy and use it in different ways."

"So there's nothing genetic about it?" asked McKay.

"No" said Giles shaking his head, "some are just talented and…"

It was then that Dr. Weir's phone rang. Apologizing for the interruption, the diplomat stood up and took her phone out of her pocket and checked the Caller I.D. She then nodded at Major Sheppard, and Major Davis, before she walked out to the front porch while Giles continued to tell them about the intricacies of Magic. In the meantime, Dr. Weir was on the front lawn when she answered the phone before she was connected to the SGC.

"Dr. Weir" said General Landry from his office, "we've sent the data collected from Miss Maclay's blood sample to the Asgard. We've already used Dr. McKay's algorithm to look through what you've brought back of the Atlantis database, but we haven't found anything."

"I see, sir" said Dr. Weir, "any news from the Asgard?"

"Yes" said General Landry, "we just received a response from the subspace data burst. The gene that Dr. Beckett found in her blood, it's not Ancient. According to the Asgard, it's Furling."

"Furling?" asked Dr. Weir in surprise as she looked at the house behind her, "Sir, Furling as in the Alliance of Four Great Races?"

"Exactly" said General Landry, "I'll be informing General O'Neill, and I'm sure this'll fast track protection for her by Home World."

"Understood, General" said Dr. Weir before she put the phone away, 'Furling gene, this is going to be very interesting.'

TBC.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**The Summers Residence, 1715 hours.**

Dr. Weir was still in surprise after learning what the Asgard had told the SGC about Tara as she walked back up the pathway to the porch. She then nodded at the two guards before heading into the foyer and turned into the living room where MacKay was in an argument of sorts with Giles on how a Slayer is created.

"So, hold on" said an exasperated MacKay while the others just looked on, "so somehow there's a transfer of power from one Slayer to another one after they die? Right?"

"Yes" said Giles as he rubbed his forehead, "that's how another Slayer is called."

"And there's no way to know…."

"Dr. Mackay" said Giles as he looked up at the man, "I've been doing this for far more years… I'm much more acquainted with the mystical side of the world and yes, I can tell you categorically that there is a mystical transfer of power from one Slayer to the next . And no, that kind of transfer cannot be measured scientifically… it's just something that has to be accepted."

"Give it up, Rodney" said Major Sheppard as the scientist looked at him, "stop…"

"But…"

"What's going on?" asked Dr. Weir as she walked into the living room as MacKay sat back on his chair shaking his head.

"Then how do you explain what our satellite's found?" asked MacKay as he ignored Dr. Weir's question.

"Oh dear lord" said Giles as he put down his glasses on the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at MacKay, "not everything can be measured, Dr. MacKay. The Hellmouth, all the Hellmouths, release energy into this dimension so I wouldn't be surprised if you can read that energy on your equipment. But a Slayer power is transferred only at death, so even if you could read that energy transfer… you'd have to kill a Slayer. Is that something you're willing to test?"

"No one's killing anyone" said Major Sheppard waving his hands as Dr. Weir agreed before telling Rodney to continue running scans of the energy emissions from the Hellmouth.

"I'm not saying we kill anyone" said MacKay before he went back to his laptop while Dr. Weir shook her head before tapping on Daniel and Major Sheppard's shoulder and nodding her head towards the living room. It was then that Major Davis got a call on his cell phone which he answered while Major Sheppard, Dr. Weir and Daniel headed to the living room.

While Dr. Weir was whispering to the stunned faces of the Major and Daniel in regards to what General Landry had told her about Tara, Major Davis got off the phone and talked to Giles and the others.

"Are you sure?" whispered Daniel as they stood close together, "we haven't even met one, even the Asgard won't tell us if they're still alive, or dead, or in another galaxy."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Major Sheppard quietly before looking back at the Scoobies who were listening to what Major Davis was telling the,. HE noticed that Xander nodded his head before he took a seat while Giles placed a hand on the man's shoulder. HE then looked at Dr. Weir when she whispered that the Asgard didn't tell them much about the gene just that Tara carried it.

"They're probably still rebuilding their civilisation after the replicator threat was taken care off" whispered Dr. Weir, "hopefully they'll get back to us soon with what they know."

"This is pretty big" said Daniel nodding his head, "I'm sure they'll give us more details… especially what the gene does. If it does anything."

"Like the Ancient gene that General O'Neill, or I have" said Major Sheppard as Daniel nodded his head.

"We'll wait for the Asgard" said Dr. Weir, "in the meantime, General Landry said he'll notify General O'Neill and fast track protective status for Tara."

"Thanks" whispered Major Sheppard as Dr. Weir nodded her head before they headed back to the dining room where the others where all seated down while Major Davis was talking to them.

"Major?" asked Dr. Weir as she looked at Major Davis, and then at the Scoobies, "is there something I need to know?"

"I was just finishing telling them that the General said he'll spring for the repair of the windows, the door, and any damage in the house because of what just happened" said Major Davis, "since we have evidence that shows Tara is related to Major Sheppard, who is a key member of this team, she's been given automatic protection by a special department within the Pentagon. The same department which overseas the organization that Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard belong to. Since this is listed as her home address on her files, it's our job to make sure that it's kept safe."

"That was fast" whispered Major Sheppard as he leaned in towards Daniel.

"That's Jack for you" whispered Daniel, "once Landry called him, he must have done something."

"It's good though" whispered the Major, "Tara's gonna be safe."

"What's the catch?" asked Buffy as she looked at the military personnel, "you want something… or at least the Pentagon does, right?"

"We're not making any moves to recruit her" said Major Davis, "but the work that Major Sheppard's involved in is highly classified, and important. There are people who'd do anything to gain access to what we do. While Miss Maclay's abilities will be classified as Top Secret, there are people who may still try to get to Major Sheppard through her. She would also have a direct line to our organization in the event that there's a problem… like what happened in these two days. And since we can't offer protection to you Miss Summers because of the agreement with the Council, we offer it to Miss Maclay… so if she happens to tell us that there's some kind of a danger.. and from what I've heard… there's a lot of things out there; she can just call and have whatever resources she needs."

"So technically you're offering this help to Tara?" asked Giles as he realized what the Major was saying, "but not to Buffy because the Council has ordered you away from her."

"Yes" said Major Davis, "but even though this is Miss Summers home, since Miss Maclay lives here… then we'll be indirectly helping Miss Summers. Of course, Miss Maclay doesn't have to call us for any aid if she doesn't need it… but she'll still be protected either way."

"Dr. Weir" said Giles as he stood up, "would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please" said Dr. Weir as Giles invited the others to join them while Buffy, Dawn, Xander, and MacKay stayed in the dining room, the two girls staring at Mackay who was typing away at the computer. At the same time, Dr. Beckett went up the stairs to check on Tara and Willow in their room.

**The Summers Residence, 2300 hours.**

As Dr. Beckett entered the room again to check on the two young women, he smiled at the soft light coming from the desk lamp before he checked on the vitals of the two young women. It was then that he heard a soft moan as Willow, whose hair had now turned back to its bright red colour, moved her head slightly before she placed the arm that had the I.V. tube attached on her forehead.

"Ow" said the young woman softly once she felt the tug on the top of her hand as she opened her eyes and looked at the I.V. drip and then she looked up at the machine before looking at the man in the white coat who was rushing towards her, "oh I've gone to the nut house haven't I?"

"Huh?" asked Dr. Becket before he opened his eyes wide in understanding and looked at his white coat, before looking at Willow again and gave a small smile, "no lass, my name is Dr. Carson Beckett; I'm a friend of Major John Sheppard."

"Oh" said Willow nodding her head when she realized something, "Tara.. where's…."

"It's alright" said Dr. Beckett as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, she's right next to you… still sleeping. You've been out for a few of hours, I'd expected you'd be out the whole night."

"You know what happened?"

'Aye" said Dr. Beckett nodding his head while he checked her eyes before checking her blood pressure, "which is why I've been checking your breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat, and making sure that you're kept hydrated. How're you feeling?"

"Thirsty, hungry, tired" said Willow as she looked at Tara, "this was the first time she… she experienced something like this. Rack he…. He forced.. wait, did you say you know about magic and all that and…"

"Aye" said Dr. Becket as he sat next to her side of the bed.

"Rack forced magic into her and… and she's gonna be out for longer" said Willow softly, "it hasn't taken that long for me cause, well… I've got the experience with the whole dark magic thing and…."

"Ouch" whispered Tara softly as Willow snapped her head towards her girlfriend and gave a small smile before looking at Dr. Beckett again.

"But she's always been stronger than me" smiled the redhead as she looked back at Tara who brought both of her hands on her forehead.

"Miss Maclay" said Dr. Beckett as he took out a small torch and headed to the blonde haired witch, "it's me…"

"Dr. Becket?" asked Tara as she opened her eyes slowly to the doctor looking down at her while smiling, "John?"

"He and the others are downstairs" said the doctor as he checked her eyes and then her vitals before nodding his head, "your friend Mr. Giles and Dr. Jackson are having a lively discussion about some long dead civilization."

"That's Giles for you" said Willow as she looked at Tara, who in turn looked back at her and smiled, "I'm really sorry for getting you into this mess."

"Not your fault, Will" said Tara softly.

Willow just gave the blonde witch a small smile before Dr. Beckett, suddenly feeling like the third wheel, told the two of them that he'd like for them to have something to eat, and drink, before continuing their rest.

"OK" said Willow with a smiled as she slowly got up, as Tara.

"Easy there" said Dr. Beckett, "I meant that I'll send them up here, not you go down there…. Remember, two guests coming up to see you?"

"But we've been lying on the bed for hours" pouted Willow, "I think we can walk down slowly, it… it's be nice to have the others around us. Please?"

"We'll be careful" said Tara softly as Dr. Beckett frowned before he sighed; he knew that he didn't have a chance of changing their minds, so he told them to stay in the bed while he went out of the room and called for Major Sheppard and Giles. The three of them then walked into the room, Giles and the Major surprised to see that the both of them were still up as Tara gave him a hug, and the Giles went to to Willow who held on to him. The Major looked at their interaction and was recalling what Buffy had told him and the others during their pizza dinner; that Giles was their group's surrogate father; and as Willow tightly hugged Giles, he could see it evident.

He then headed towards Tara and crouched down before looking at each other's eyes before Tara gave her brother a hug, and then whispered into his ear.

"Thank you for not leaving scared" she whispered.

"Why would I leave?" whispered the Major into her ear.

"Because of what I was like" said Tara, "it.. it's something that happens when magic is.. I mean dark magic is forced into a person and…."

"I'm not running away" said the Major as Giles glanced at the man after hugging Willow. He noticed that all of them, from Major Sheppard to Dr. Weir didn't really flinch at the supernatural… although Mackay was the ever present sceptic, but even he didn't flinch when they were talking about demons, monsters, Hellmouths, hell dimensions and other assorted topics. To Giles, it was as if these people had spent a lot of time facing similar threats. He wanted to ask them what was going on, why were they taking everything in their stride, but he knew that their answer would be that everything was classified.

'At least Tara, and by her the rest of us, are protected' thought Giles to himself as Dr. Beckett moved in, after he stepped to one side, to remove the I.V. drip from the top of Willow's hand. Giles then helped Willow stand up after the doctor was done before he went on to remove the drip from Tara as the Major took a step back and let Dr. Beckett do his job.

In the meantime, Giles helped Willow walked over to the Major as she lay a hand on his arm and apologized for getting Tara into that mess.

"It's not your fault, Willow" said Tara as she looked up at the redhead.

"It's not" said the Major nodding his head, "Amy took the both of you against your will, and although we don't really know what went on in there…. We guessed that it was kinda bad. But none of what happened is on you. We've already taken Warren and Amy into custody, although we're still not sure what to do with Amy… Mr. Giles had an idea but until everything's set… she'll be locked up. I'm guessing that after the high from this Rack guy's dark magic.. the low means that she's out of magic?"

"It'll recover in a few days" said Giles.

"Well, you've got till then to figure something out" said the Major before he looked at Willow, "and about that whole thing with Rack.."

"That was something I did out of anger" said Willow as she looked down, "I did it to protect Tara and…. and he was going to keep coming after her and…."

"You did what you had to do" said the Major, "like we've told Buffy. You're in a war, and he was the enemy. Besides, you protected my newly found sister so it should be me thanking you."

Willow blushed a little before she shook her head.

"But that still doesn't take you off the hook for hacking into my file" said the Major as Willow smiled a little, "the person who created that program would like to talk to you when you're better, she's in Nevada right now but she can talk to you over video whenever you feel up to it. And before that, someone from the Pentagon would like a chat with you tomorrow."

"Who'll I be talking to?" asked Willow as Dr. Beckett helped Tara stand up before the Major placed her arm around his shoulders for balance.

"Major Davis had to get back to the Army base with McKay… Buffy was scaring him a little" said the Major as Tara and Willow smiled a little, "you'll be talking to him about the break-in, and you'll be talking to Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter over video and…."

"Sam Carter?" asked Willow surprised, "the astrophysicist? That same Carter?"

"Uh huh" nodded the Major.

"That's so cool" said Willow with her eyes wide open, "her papers on dark matter and singularities are why I'm…. oh dear God… I hacked through something she created…. Oh God… oh God…. She hates me…."

"Willow" said Tara trying not to laugh at the expression of genuine horror on her girlfriend's face.

"She just wants to talk" said the Major while Willow looked at him in horror, "just talk… she's not gonna be you know… coming here and sitting next to you… or, I could ask her to come by…'

"Oh god no!" squeaked Willow before she covered her mouth with both hands while Giles held onto her shoulders tightly. She then put her hands down and shook her head, she told him that talking to her through video would be fine.

"Mackay would be joining the conversation tomorrow" said the Major, "he also wants to…."

"MacKay?" asked Willow, "Rodney MacKay? Astrophysicist too… that MacKay?"

"Uh huh?" said the Major, "don't tell me you…."

"Oh God you work with two of the smartest people on the planet?" asked Willow as Tara looked on at the redhead, "are you kidding me?"

"Please, don't tell MacKay he's the smartest" whined the Major, "the others and I have to work with him."

"Is it true that he's also, according to my astronomy professor anyway… and I quote, a condescending.. arrogant.. asshole of a prick?" asked Willow as she looked at the Major with her eyes wide open.

"I wouldn't say he's an asshole, or a prick" said the Major as he shrugged, "not every time anyway. And not both at once."

"Major, Mr. Giles" said Dr. Beckett, "maybe it's time that we bring these two ladies down for some food?"

"Yes" said Giles.

"While we're eating" said Tara as she smirked at Willow while they were walking out of teh room with Major Sheppard, and Giles' help, "maybe John should call Sam Carter. You know, have her come meet Willow."

"Tara!" squeaked Willow as Dr. Beckett closed the door behind him with a smile on his face, "no… no… no… no… Oh God no."

TBC.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**The Summers Residence, 2315 hours.**

Tara and Willow walked slowly down the stairs while being helped by Major Sheppard and Giles respectively. As they walked down, the two young woman saw that the living room window was already boarded up and that a brand new door was installed. Before they could ask what happened, they saw Xander, Buffy, and Dawn head to the bottom of the stairs and grin at Tara and Willow. Once the two witches reached the foyer, it was Dawn who gave the both of them a tight hug while Dr. Beckett squeezed through one side to get into the living room where Dr. Weir and Daniel were talking to each other.

Once Willow and Tara hugged Xander and then Buffy, Dr. Weir and Daniel introduced themselves to Willow. The two of them sat at the dining table where there were already three boxes of pizza; two of which was already finished.

"Miss Rosenberg" said Dr. Weir as they took their seats at the table while Tara and Willow picked up some of the pizza slices and bit into them hungrily.

"Willow. Miss Rosenberg makes me sound like I'm an old person."

"Willow" said Dr. Weir nodding her head, "I know it's going to be difficult to remember, but do you feel up to telling us what happened?"

"Perhaps it would be best we talk about this at another time, Dr. Weir?" asked Giles.

"No" said Willow as Tara shook her head, "I.. I mean…"

"It's better to put it out in the open" said Tara as Major Sheppard nodded his head.

"As long as you guys tell us what happened to the window in the living room, and why there's a new door" said Willow as she looked behind her, before looking at Buffy who nodded her head.

"Amy was in the funeral home" said Tara as she looked at Daniel, "she magically teleported us to Rack's place and… and the travel there knocked us unconscious."

"Amy was already high of the dark stuff" said Willow as she picked up another slice of pizza, "so it was easy for her to teleport us…. Hope she got a headache and a nosebleed like I did when I teleported Glory and…."

"Will" said Buffy as she nodded at Dr. Weir, Daniel, Dr. Beckett, and Major Sheppard who were looking at her with their eyes open wide.

"Did I say teleport?" asked Willow shaking her head, "no.. I meant telephone. Yeah.. I get nosebleeds sometimes when I call someone… I'm hypersensitive to…"

"You're digging yourself into a hole, Will" said Xander as he stood behind her and put his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I teleported using a spell" said Willow, "but the after-effects aren't great."

"She had headaches for weeks" said Tara as she looked at Willow and smiled before looking at the Major again, "and her nose bled on and off for maybe a week?"

"It was three days, Tara" said Willow as she looked at the blonde witch, and then at Giles and Dr. Weir, "I mean it was on and off but.. yeah."

"With your permission" said Dr. Beckett, "I'd like to run an MRI at the base. It's just to find out if there's anything wrong… you said you had headaches that lasted for weeks and nose bleeds for three days… I'd like to make sure that you're alright."

"It's gone though" said Willow as she looked at the doctor nervously before looking at Giles, "the headaches I mean, and the bleeding too."

"Would she need to go to the base?" asked Buffy as she looked worriedly at Willow who looked back at her.

"We can have it done at one of the hospitals" said Dr. Beckett.

"Although for security, I'd suggest the base" said Dr. Weir, "we're not going to run any other tests without your express permission; Dr. Giles, you're more than welcome to escort Willow and observe."

"Willow, it's better that we know there's nothing wrong" said Giles, "and I'll make sure that nothing untoward happens to you."

"Alright" sighed Willow as Tara smiled at her, and then at Giles.

"Now that we've cleared that up" said Major Sheppard.

"Right, Rack" said Willow shaking her head. She and Tara then recounted what happened in Rack's den, especially the parts where he took some of Willow's power and transferred it to Amy who got a high off it. Tara then described how he forced some of her magic out and hoarded it. They told Daniel and the others that Rack would come after Tara every time he needed a fix, and that he knew that Willow would always come back for more. Willow told them about the magic absorbing bindings that were around her hands and feet, before telling them what else happened just before Buffy, Daniel and Major Sheppard's rushed in.

"How did you find us?" asked Tara as she looked at Buffy, the Major and then at Daniel.

"Willie" said Buffy with a shrug, "I had give him, and a few other demons an incentive."

"Which was?" asked Giles.

"For Willie, I'd beat him to a pulp if he didn't tell me where Rack's place was" said Buffy, "all I gave him was a tap on his nose for appearances sake and he told me where Rack had his place. The other four demons in the bar just wanted to piss me off."

"It was like a bar fight in the movies" said Daniel, "we heard sounds of shouting… then things breaking.

"Glass shattering" said the Major, "and next thing we know, two things were thrown through the door and hit the ground before they got up bleeding and ran… something about joking around with the Slayer."

"They never joke around" said Buffy as she looked at the Major and then at Daniel before looking at Willow and Tara, "and that's how we found you guys."

"So this Rack's still out there?" asked Dr. Weir as Willow looked at Tara, who looked at her again.

"Rack's been taken care off, Elizabeth" said Major Sheppard as Daniel nodded his head while Tara, Buffy and Willow looked over at him, "he won't be coming after them again."

"I see" said Dr. Weir as she leaned back against the chair and looked at the Major who had his hands folded over his chest, "do I want to know the details?"

"Not really" said Daniel.

Dr. Weir frowned at Daniel and the Major before she looked at Willow and Tara who were looking at each other. She heard that Willow and Tara were powerful witches; Willow even more so.. or at least she had that potential, and with that power at the hands of a warlock would have been dangerous for everyone. It would have been dangerous for Tara, and particularly dangerous for Willow since Rack would have been able to use her magic to cause problems for everyone.

"Will more people be going to him for this dark magic?" asked Dr. Weir.

"Possibly" said Giles, "but then, I hardly believe that the police will believe anyone who tells them that there is a dead warlock in a cloaked drug den which moves locations every so often."

"But his power is still dangerous" said Willow, "I did what I had to do to protect Tara, and me… I was afraid that he'd get me addicted again. And by getting me addicted.. he'd make me do things… things that will get me another high from him."

"You did the right thing" said Major Sheppard as Willow looked up at him.

"If his body still has power" said Dr. Weir as she looked at Giles, "can we do anything to prevent anyone from getting to that power?"

"Burn the body in living flame" said Giles as Dr. Weir looked at him, "burns hot enough that there will be nothing left.. not even ash."

"Major" said Dr. Weir as she looked at Major Sheppard, and then at Daniel, "I'd like the both of you to retrieve the body. We'll arrange for use of any crematorium in the city."

"There are a few" said Giles as he fixed his glasses, "and I can start on collecting some ingredients from.. from the Magic Box.. and…"

"Dr. Giles?" asked Daniel as he noticed the faraway look in the Watcher's eyes.

"Sorry, Dr. Jackson" said Giles shaking him head, "I had left the Magic Box to Anya and now… now with her gone… I guess I always thought that she'd be minding the store; being there without her is….."

"I'll go with you to get what you need, Giles" said Xander as Giles nodded his head before he coughed while taking off his glasses and wiping them slowly.

"In the meantime, Tara and Willow should rest" said Dr, Weir, "then once Major Sheppard and Dr. Jackson are done, we'll be heading back to the Army base for the Major to get a full physical… especially on why he can do the things he can."

"You.. wont harm him?" said Tara as she looked at Dr. Weir who smiled, as did Daniel and Major Sheppard.

"No" said Dr. Beckett, "we have some non-invasive testing we can carry out. He won't be harmed."

"Tara" said Dr. Weir as she leaned forward, "there is one more thing that we need to talk about. Major Davis will be coming by tomorrow with the paperwork, when he comes to talk to Willow about the break-in, in regards to your status."

"My status?" asked Tara as she looked at the Major in confusion before looking at Dr. Weir again.

"As you've been told by Major Sheppard" said Dr. Weir, "we're involved in a highly classified project that's overseen by a department within the Pentagon. Given that he's an important part of my team, and there are many people who'd do anything to get at him through anyone connected to him… we'll be putting you under the protection of this department. Your abilities will be kept Top Secret; the only ones with access to your file will be the head of this department in the Pentagon."

"O….K" said Tara as she looked in surprise at Major Sheppard who nodded his head at her.

"Since this is listed as your home" said the Major as he walked around the table and sat next to Tara, "everyone's being protected too… including Buffy. You'll have backup form us if anything happens in Sunnydale. It's up to you if you call or not, if you don't… we'll still watch over you. But if you do call when there's something huge… we'll come running."

"You're going around the Council" said Willow with her eyes open in surprise, "you can't help Buffy directly, so.. so this is another way."

"It's a matter of protection for Tara, as well as for anyone who's living under the same roof as her" said Dr. Weir as she looked at Willow, and then at Buffy, before focusing on Tara again, "you'll just have to sign some paperwork and, while you can refuse, we'd also like to place a subcutaneous transmitter just under your skin."

"For tracking?" asked Willow.

"All of us have it" said Major Sheppard as he, Dr. Weir, Dr. Beckett and even Daniel showed their forearms while pointing to a spot, "in case you call and you're not sure where you are… or let's say that you've been taken and Buffy, or Willow gets worried.. they can let us know and then we can tell them your location. But it's completely up to you. You're not gonna be forced to it."

"I… I'd like to think about that?" asked Tara as she looked at her brother who nodded his head.

It was a few minutes later that Tara agreed to being protected since she knew that the other would be too. Dr. Weir then told Tara that she'll be given a phone that would connect directly to the department in the Pentagon before Major Sheppard, Daniel and the others left for the Magic Box while Dr. Weir contacted Home World and told them about the situation with Rack, and that it was too dangerous to leave his body lying around.

Soon after they had burnt the body in one of Sunnydale's crematoriums which left nothing of the warlock, not even a speck of ash, the Major headed back to the Sunnydale Army base with Dr. Weir, Dr. Beckett and Daniel while Giles and Xander headed to Buffy's home. Once they reached the Army base, Major Sheppard asked Dr Beckett and Dr. Weir what tests they had in mind.

"Want me to lift something, or…"

"We need to know if there's an environmental component to these abilities" said Daniel as Dr. Weir nodded, "I don't know about Elizabeth, but I was thinking about you spending the night on the Prometheus."

'It would tell us if it's this energy that Rodney's detected causing something to happen to the Ancient gene" said Dr. Beckett as they walked into the hanger where MacKay was running from one computer to another while mumbling to himself that it was just energy, that there was no such thing as magic.

"Rodney" said Dr. Beckett, "I really wouldn't say there's no such thing."

"What?" asked MacKay as he stopped pacing, "you mean magic? There's an explanation for everything."

"Well" said Major Sheppard, "we just saw Giles burn the body of a dead warlock without leaving a trace."

"What?" asked MacKay, "that's impossible.. there's always a trace. Nothing burns away completely…. There's some kind of a residue… ash… or…"

"You're more than welcome to take a look" said Dr. Weir, "I asked the crematorium director not to handle the gurney that held the man's body… you're free to examine it tomorrow. In the meantime, we've got guards around that house for tonight, and right now I'll have Major Sheppard beamed up to the Prometheus. I'd like to see if these abilities are permanent, or if it has anything to do with the energy emissions that you've been reading. Then tomorrow morning, I'll have him beamed down to the SGC where General Landry will be debriefed on Sunnydale… Dr. Jackson and I will be there as well, and then from there we head back to Sunnydale."

"Sounds like a plan" said Major Sheppard as Dr. Weir nodded her head before heading to one of the computers.

"So this so called living flame" said Rodney as he made air-quote signs with his fingers, "what colour was it… what did it…"

"It was green and black" said Dr. Beckett, "but I didn't feel any heat."

'It was kinda weird" said Major Sheppard, "but then the body just went poof… no ash… no nothing."

"I'll bring a hand held scanner tomorrow and check it out" said MacKay, "you'll see.. there's always an explanation."

"If you say so" said Major Sheppard before Dr. Weir walked back to him, and told him that Colonel Carter was ready for him to be beamed up.

"Right" said the Major as he looked at the Colonel who was waving at him from the screen, "I'm ready, ma'am."

"Beaming, now" said Colonel Carter as Major Sheppard vanished in a bright flash of white light before Dr. Weir looked around and told everyone that she was going to get some sleep.. that the whole day was interesting. It wasn't too long before MacKay was the only one in the room since the Atlantis crew had mostly gone to sleep while he was running more scans using the Prometheus' sensors; then four hours after everyone had gone to sleep, he lay his head on the table and closed his eyes…. And before long he was snoring.

**The Summers Residence, 1230 hours.**

Once Major Sheppard was on the Prometheus, he was immediately taken to the infirmary where he was given a full physical before he was asked to try and display his abilities. He looked at a paper cup on a table next to his bed in the infirmary and concentrated. He, the doctor who was examining him, and Colonel Carter saw the paper cup shake slightly and move forward a little… but it didn't fly over to his hands like what happened to the clipboard he had taken from Dr. Beckett back on Earth at the Sunnydale base a couple of days ago. He was monitored for the whole night that he slept in the infirmary, and then in the morning.. he was asked to try again by Colonel Carter once he had woken up.

This time though, nothing happened.

Confused as he tried again with nothing happening as he concentrated on a paper cup; they guessed that he was able to use his abilities because of the energy emissions that were coming from Sunnydale. However, they still needed to check if just being on Earth can cause his abilities to manifest themselves again. So, at about nine in the morning, the Major and Colonel Carter were beamed down to the SGC with Dr. Weir and Daniel. Following a debriefing with General Landry, and Major Sheppard asking for a few more days of leave so that he could take Tara to meet her father, and her other brother. With the debriefing completed, and having confirmed that Major Sheppard's abilities depended on being close to the energy emissions from Sunnydale… the man asked Colonel Carter for a favour before all of them were beamed up to the Prometheus where the Colonel took off her SG1, and SGC, patches before they were then beamed down to the Sunnydale Army base. From there they entered a waiting SUV and were taken to the Summers home, while at the same time…MacKay and a science team headed to the crematorium to examine the gurney where the living flame was used to burn Rack's body.

With the guards having left that morning due to the capture of Amy and Warren, as well as Rack being neutralized; Major Davis, Major Sheppard, Colonel Carter, Dr. Weir and Daniel walked up the stairs to the front porch were he knocked on the door.

Taking off his sunglasses, the Major smiled when Dawn opened the door before hearing Tara's voice calling from the kitchen asking who it was.

"It's John" said Dawn as she looked over her shoulder before grinning at Major Sheppard, "hi, John…. Dr. Jackson."

"Hey" said the Major as Dawn steeped back when Tara ran into the foyer and smiled at Major Sheppard before asking them inside. Walking into the house, the Major and the other saw Willow and Buffy walking down the stairs; the Slayer nodding at Major Sheppard and the others before looking confused at Colonel Carter.

"Where's Giles, and Xander?" asked Major Sheppard.

"They left to get Anya's coffin" said Dawn, "Xander wants to bury her tomorrow."

"Oh" said Major Sheppard.

"Miss Rosenberg" said Major Davis who was holding onto a briefcase while motioning towards the Colonel, "this is Lt. Colonel Sam Carter."

"You're Sam Carter?" asked Willow as she looked at the blonde officer with her mouth open.

"Hi" said the Colonel, "Major Sheppard told me that you're a fan, kinda feels nice to have a fan."

"Uhhhhhh" squeaked Willow as she looked at Buffy, and then at Tara with her eyes wide open, and then at the Colonel again, "uhhhh."

"She says it's nice to meet you" said Buffy while Willow nodded her head vigorously.

"Uhhhhhh" squeaked Willow again, "uhhhh uhhhh uhhhh."

"She says that she thinks you're really cool" said Buffy as everyone looked at her, "hey, I speak Willow."

"Miss Rosenberg?" said Major Davis, "we'd just like to have a word and… well, there's something we'd like to offer you. If you're interested."

"O…. Ok" said Willow as she walked down the remaining steps of the stairs and headed to the living room where Colonel Carter placed a bag that she was carrying onto the table before asking Willow to take a seat. Nodding her head, Willow sat down before asking if her friends could stay with her. Nodding her head, the Colonel accepted while Major Davis took out a folder from the briefcase before he closed it once again.

"Miss Rosenberg" said Major Davis while Tara, Buffy and Dawn sat beside her, with Colonel Carter seated to her left, "a few days ago my department detected a break-in into Major Sheppard's classified file. Were you the one who did this?"

"Yes" said Willow as she looked at Tara, Major Sheppard, and then at Major Davis, "I was just curious since John just came onto the scene and… well, the last brother that… I mean…."

'The brother I grew up with, and the family I've stayed with returned to Sunnydale last year" said Tara, "they tried to take me back by force and… and Willow, Buffy, Dawn and the others protected me. They accepted me as a member of their family."

"I was just looking out for her" said Willow, "maybe it was a mistake, but I think I'd do it again to protect her… I'm real sorry."

"And our experience with the military consists of army guys who tried to play God" said Buffy, "and one of their creations tried to first destroy Sunnydale.. and then everything else. So having a brother that Tara never heard of… well…"

"You were suspicious" said Major Davis as he wrote some notes before looking at Willow, "Miss Rosenberg, what you've done… you broke into one of the most secure files on Earth."

"You sneaked past firewalls a team and I spent nearly two years developing" said Colonel Carter as Willow looked at her with her mouth wide open, "it was supposed to hold long enough for us to find who was doing the intrusion without them looking into the files themselves, and then arrest them. But you broke in and actually accessed the files; but luckily it was Major Sheppard's redacted file."

"I'm so sorry" said Willow, "I mean… I didn't know that you were behind creating the firewall and… and… I mean… umm…. Don't hate me?"

"No" chuckled the Colonel, "I actually really would like to know how you did it."

"John said something about that" said Willow, "but.. but this means that there's no punishment?"

"I wouldn't say that" said Major Davis as he handed Willow a piece of paper that had the Department of Defence letterhead, "that letter states that if you ever break into any secured files again, which I doubt you'll do, then you'll be arrested for treason against the United States. In the meantime, because of your background in computers and in the sciences.. particularly your interests in Astronomy and Physics.. we have an offer for you."

"This is where we need everyone to leave" said Major Davis as he nodded at Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard. The two of them then told everyone that they were being treated to lunch, anything they wanted…. ss long as it was legal. While Buffy was worried understandably about what they wanted Willow to do, Tara looked at Major Sheppard who nodded his head; she then turned to Buffy and told her that she trusted them.. that they weren't going to ask Willow to do anything bad.

It had taken some time, but the entire group soon walked out.. with Buffy taking Joyce's Jeep while Dawn running into the front seat of the SUV which Major Sheppard was going to be driving. As the two groups left the house, Colonel Carter nodded at Major Davis who handed another piece of paper to Willow who read through it.. and then looked at the two officers in surprise.

"That's a standard Non-disclosure agreement" said Major Davis, "basically says that if you discuss what we're about to say with anyone.. then we will arrest you for treason against the United States."

"Willow" said the Colonel as she looked at the fear on the redhead's face; fear that she hoped that she'd be able to dispel, "I was overseas for some time, so when I found out about your break-in, I was surprised. But from where I was, I wasn't able to do a proper background check until just now. From everything I've found out, you're a genius. Your SAT scores are even higher than mine, you've gotten straight A's in physics, chemistry, math… I know about the B in biology…. If it makes you feel better, I got a C."

Willow blushed as she looked down at the table.

"Miss Rosenberg" said Major Davis, "you got accepted into every top school you applied to including MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Caltech… so why did you stay in U.C. Sunnydale? We're just curious."

"I just wanted to help Buffy" said Willow as she looked at the Major and the Colonel, "she wanted me to get out of Sunnydale.. Buffy said that with schools like that.. I can do anything. But I wanted to stay here and help… so I chose Sunnydale."

"You're doing psychology?" asked Colonel Carter as Willow nodded her head, "because of Buffy?"

"A bit?" said Willow sheepishly.

"Have you thought about physics or engineering?" asked the Colonel as she leaned forward, "I ask because you've got the aptitude for it from the file I've read on your background."

"I like taking things apart and rebuilding them.. but.. I mean… I haven't had much time for… I mean…" said Willow nervously.

"We were talking to my superiors this morning" said Colonel Carter, "and we'd like to offer you a chance to.. well, change the world."

"Huh?" said Willow confused.

"I work at a place similar to DARPA, but so much more cooler… at least for me… I'm biased" said Colonel Carter, not wanting to really tell Willow that she's the head of research and development at Area 51, "and we're trying to work on a theoretical model for creating a bridge that would pull in energy from a parallel space-time; from alternate universes."

"What?" asked Willow as she opened her eyes wide open, "that's not possible.. I mean… we don't have the technology. And even if we did.. the dangers in… I mean…. I know it's… damn… I mean… wow…"

"It's only a theoretical model" said the Colonel smiling at how excited Willow was getting, "you'll be working on this secured laptop which will only be activated with your thumbprint and retinal scan. It'll be then connected to a server in a classified location where you'll be joined with Dr. Bill Lee, Dr. Rodney MacKay, and myself."

"But if you try to find out the location of the classified location, or locations" said Major Davis, "then your connection will be automatically be cut, and you will be arrested. No second chances. If you feel like you'd like to think about this offer.. then that's fine too. We can give you forty eight hours, and then we need an answer. But if you refuse, then we'll forget this conversation ever happened.. which means that you can't tell anyone about this. IF you do…"

"I'll be arrested" said Willow as the Major nodded his head.

"You'll be paid, of course" said Colonel Carter, "if you accept it, I mean. It's not as glamorous, but I think you've got what it takes to help us. We're talking about a theoretical model that if it can work…. Down the road we'd have a possibility of providing the planet with near unlimited energy. What do you say?"

"Parallel realities" said Willow softly as she closed her eyes and imagined, "it's… I mean it's going to be really complex.. the science I mean and…. and… I wanna do it."

Colonel Carter smiled as Willow smiled back at her.

"I wanna do it" said Willow.

"You need to work on this laptop from home. If it gets taken out, then there's a device inside that'll activate and destroy the hard drive and any other components" said Colonel Carter, "and you'll have to keep this a secret from everyone.. even Buffy, and the others."

"There's a cover story you'll have to follow" said the Major, "you'll be working as a data analyst for Pathfinder; an experimental deep space telescope that was launched by the United States."

"Is there a real Pathfinder?" whispered Willow.

"Yes" whispered Colonel Carter with a smile, "it's meant to complement the Hubble telescope."

"OK" said Willow nodding her head, "I'll do it."

"Show me how you got into Major Sheppard's file" said the Colonel as she turned the laptop towards Willow who was sitting next to her, "and then we'll set up your thumbprint, and retinal scan."

"You do realize that Dr. MacKay will be pissed, ma'am?" asked Major Davis as he leaned in towards the Colonel while Willow opened a window on the laptop and started typing furiously.

"That I recruited one of the brightest people we've met?" asked the Colonel as she looked at the Major while Willow blushed as she continued to type, "he'll get over it."

"Ummm…. Tara knows when I'm lying" said Willow as she suddenly came to a realization before looking at the Major, "that.. that's not a problem… is it?"

"Major Sheppard told me that Tara knew he was lying to her even before he told her that he was working on classified projects" said Major Davis, "I think Tara will understand the need for secrecy in this."

"I.. I hope so" said Willow, "can't I just tell her at least, I mean… you know.. just that it's something classified and I can't really talk about it."

"As long as you don't tell her what it's about.. then we'll be ok" said Colonel Carter as Willow nodded her head before she went back to typing furiously while the Colonel looked over her shoulder.

TBC.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Sunnydale Glades Cemetery, 1000 hours.**

Tara, Willow, Dawn, Giles, and Buffy were watching Xander deliver his eulogy while he was looking towards the oak casket that contained the body of his fiancée. Giles had been kind enough to pay for everything, and since Anya didn't exactly have surviving members of her own family, and given that Xander didn't want the demonic aspects of Anya's time as a vengeance demon to crash the funeral… the young man said that it would just be simpler to hold a small ceremony; just among them.

While Xander was talking, Tara looked at the casket as she reached for Willow's hand. Holding on tight to the redhead, Tara looked at her and gave a small smile before looking at the casket again. She remembered having met Anya the first time which was when Xander let it slip that she was a vengeance demon. Fascinated that the Scoobies had made friends, although Willow and Buffy seemed to deny that they were friends; instead they were acquaintances, with a demon… Tara and Anya had gotten quite close. As a gentle breeze brushed past all of them, Tara's thoughts switched to what Willow had told her last night after they had returned from dinner; that she was offered a job as a data analyst by Colonel Carter. Tara remembered the excitement in Willow's voice as she described working with data from a space telescope. She could tell that Willow was lying to her about something, but she knew that the excitement the redhead felt was real. Tara then nodded in understanding when Willow told her that what she was being asked to do was classified, but it was interesting.

"And I'll be getting paid" said Willow as they lay together in bed, "it'll take some of the pressure of Buffy."

"Always thinking about others" said Tara as she caressed Willow's cheek while the latter smiled, "and yeah, you're right. This will take some pressure off."

"When are you planning to visit your dad, and your other brother?" asked Willow.

"John suggested the day after the funeral" said Tara as Willow sighed and then closed her eyes.

"I should have been much nicer to her.. to Anya" said Willow as she opened her eyes again and looked at Tara, "we've been at each other's throats and… and I said some things too; like I thought she'd break Xander's heart, or turn him into a frog or…. I… I said some other mean things."

"Will" said Tara gently as she brushed the back of her fingers on Willow's red hair.

"Then the way we acted after she was left at the altar" said Willow, "she came to me saying that Xander left her and that he should be punished and… I mean…. Xander's my best friend and I defended him and… and…"

"You're upset that you didn't defend her too" said Tara gently as Willow nodded her head and wiped her left eye.

"I could have been more understanding about her feelings but.. I ignored her" said Willow, "she was so angry… all of us ignored her, and blamed her. But she didn't give in when she was offered her demon powers back, that's what Dawn told us."

"I remember" said Tara, "she's in a better place now, Will."

"Is she?" asked Willow, "I've wished that she'd go to hell so many times that… what if she's there and… I never even said sorry for all the things I said."

"She'll forgive you" said Tara gently while she looked into Willow's eyes, "she died protecting Dawn.. she died a hero. I think she'll be just fine."

Back at the funeral, Tara looked at the casket as Xander finished his eulogy. Tara closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for Anya in the hope that her soul would be in a good place, and at piece. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Xander put a white rose on the top of the casket before putting a hand on the top cover. He then stepped back as Buffy walked over with Dawn and then the both of them placed flowers on her casket before hugging Xander. Giles was up next, before Willow, and then finally Tara.

"I'm sorry, sweetie" said Tara as she hugged Xander tightly before she reassured him, "she's in a good place now."

"Thank you" he replied.

They watched as the casket was brought down into the grave before Xander threw some soil in, as did the others. In was a few hours later that the Scoobies turned to leave for home, their plan was to spend the rest of the day talking about Anya. As Tara walked with Willow hand in hand behind the other Scoobies, she felt as if she was being watched, before a sensation of warmth carried by a gentle breeze went past her. Tara suddenly stopped; Willow then looked at her with a confused look on her face.

Tara slowly turned around and, in the distance under a tree, she saw a hooded figure all in white just standing still. Tara couldn't make out the face of the figure since it was too far away, and the hood was covering the majority of the figures face.

"Tara?" asked Willow while the others stopped walking as the blonde witch looked at the redhead, "you alright?"

"I…" said Tara as she looked at the tree again, but the figure that was standing under it was now gone. She then looked at Willow and said that she thought she saw something, but it was just a trick of the light.

The others nodded their heads and continued to walked towards the parking lot while Willow looked at Tara, who looked back to the distance.

"Tara? Did you see something?" asked Willow.

"I thought I saw someone dressed in white" said Tara looking at Willow, "I didn't sense any evil, just.. just warmth. But it's not there anymore, the figure.. I mean."

"You think it's Anya?" asked Willow, "I mean even for us that's a bit… cool?"

"I don't know" said Tara as she and Willow continued their walk before taking another look behind her at the empty space under the tree, "I don't know."

**Ruins of Sunnydale High, 1000 hours.**

Major Sheppard was standing next to Daniel and Mackay while suited up in their normal BDU's, with vests and Zats, as well as their P90's and sidearm's while they looked at the gutted building before them. Among the three of them as they stood next to the black SUV that Major Sheppard had used to drive them there. Mackay was typing something on the laptop that he placed on the hood of the SUV, while he placed a tablet right next to it.

"MacKay" said Major Sheppard, "you done?"

"Give me a minute" he replied while Major Sheppard looked at Daniel and rolled his eyes, "I'm connecting the handheld scanner to my laptop so that whatever information we collect on this energy that's coming out from the school will be scanned by the Prometheus, and once we get back to Atlantis, I can search the database for any information on this energy field. I mean magic, seriously? It's the energy emissions that's causing all this weird stuff to happen… maybe even affecting the so-called Slayer's brain… or something."

"There are things that we can't explain" said Daniel as he looked around at the empty parking lot before putting on his P90. Dr. Weir had ordered that anyone going into the school, especially given what Giles, Buffy, and Willow had been talking about the strange events in the city, had to go in fully armed to be on the safe side. MacKay had frowned at that idea while telling Dr. Weir that what the town was experiencing was probably mass hysteria brought about by the massive amounts of energy being released.

Dr. Weir, Daniel, Dr. Beckett and Major Davis had looked at MacKay before shaking their heads. Dr. Weir then told them that she still wanted the three of them fully armed when they go in to the school to check on the energy emissions.

"Fine" said MacKay, "but I'm telling you that all of this… this is nothing."

Back in the present, the tablet then gave out a beep before MacKay removed the connection between it and the laptop He then hurriedly put the laptop back into its case before placing the case inside the SUV. He then held the tablet in his hands and told Daniel and Major Sheppard that he managed to triangulate the epicentre of the energy emissions, and he had the directions to get there.

"Come on" said Mackay as Major Sheppard sighed while he took point, with MacKay behind him and Daniel taking up the rear. The three of them entered the darkened hallway and was immediate hit with the smell of burnt and decomposing flesh. They walked cautiously in the dark, which had the sunlight from the outside coming in through cracks in the wall… but other than that, the hallways were relatively dark.

"So Dr. Mackay" said Daniel while he scanned the area behind him with his P90, "I heard you found nothing on that gurney that held Rack. Not even a particle after he was burned with that living flame."

"Someone must have sanitized it" said MacKay as she looked at his tablet and then pointed at another direction they should be walking, "they had enough time."

"Seriously?" asked Major Sheppard as he looked back at the man, "so you're saying that Tara and her friend lied?"

"NO, what I mean is that there are other ways to start a fire with that colour, and there's always something left after a burning" said MacKay as he continued to look at his tablet, "and since there was nothing there, the only logical explanation is that someone used a chemical to clean the gurney after you left."

"How'd you explain what we saw?" asked Major Sheppard as he scanned the forward area with his P90.

"The energy emissions from this… Hellmouth, or whatever they call it, has been affecting your Ancient gene" said MacKay, "so it's not a huge stretch to think that it affected what you saw. You heard it's going to be some kind of a mystical fire… so you saw mystical fire. Mass hysteria, or some kind of a Mass hypnosis. Not magic. This place is more like a scientific curiosity."

"You really should open your mind more" said Daniel.

"My mind is open" said MacKay as he looked at Daniel, "there's just an explanation for what's going on here. I mean, come on… all the time we've been here…. have you seen these so called demons, or vampires? I mean yeah, we've seen our share of weird… but these are vampires like in the movies. You know…. Drinking blood, afraid of the cross…. I mean, come on."

"Never knew you watched horror" said Major Sheppard as he looked back at MacKay, "remind me to bring a few DVD's back with us. I've got some really scary ones."

"Oh" said Daniel excitedly, "the Exorcist?"

"Oh come on" said MacKay.

"Rose Mary's baby?" asked Major Sheppard as they walked around a corner into another hallway that was lit up thanks to the large gaps in the walls.

"Fine, fine" said MacKay as he looked down at his tablet before he pointed his fingers in another direction. As they walked down another hallway, Daniel asked the Major if Tara and Willow were doing alright, especially after what had happened with Rack.

"Yea" he replied, "I think they'll be alright, eventually at least."

"They didn't ask you to go to the funeral?" asked MacKay while he continued to look at the tablet in his hands.

"Xander did ask me" said the Major, "but I told him it'll be like gate crashing into something private. They're her friends so… yeah… it's better if they do something to remember her without a stranger being there. Know what I mean?"

"Good point" said Daniel when the three of them suddenly stopped upon hearing something running around behind them, and then in front of them. The Major took out the Lantean life signs detector that was in his vest pocket and activated it. However, he found no other life sign signals other than their own. The Major then turned the device off and placed it back into the vest pocket and raised his P90 towards the hallway in front of him, while Daniel did the same towards the rear.

"You guys hear that, right?" whispered the Major as they listened to the sounds of running footsteps that were coming through the hallways; footsteps that seemed to be heading towards them.

"Uh huh" said Daniel while MacKay put away his tablet and took out his sidearm, "you sure you saw nothing in the life-signs detector? I mean, other than us?"

"Yea" said the Major as he stepped back closer to Mackay while signalling Daniel to head back the way they came. They then stopped moving again after a few seconds when more footsteps were coming in from behind them. It was then that the Major turned towards Daniel's directing when they heard a snarl. Putting up the P90, Major Sheppard saw a six foot tall, red skinned, horned demon that was glaring at them through bright yellow eyes.

"Demon?" asked Daniel as he stepped back with his P90 held up towards the demon that was eyeing them. It want long before there were two more of the same types of demons that had come up behind Major Sheppard, "I guess they were squatting here?"

"Yeah" said the Major as he turned and aimed his weapon at the two demon's behind him. MacKay too lifted his sidearm at the two demons that were facing him and the Major with shaking hands. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he wanted to believe that these were probably just men, or women, in elaborate costumes… or he was just imagining things. However, MacKay put his doubts about what the creatures in front of him were to one side when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, the same reaction he had when he first encountered the Wraith.

He was afraid.

"Rodney" said the Major as he started to feel the same amount of power that he used to push away Rack a few days ago, "calm down."

"I'm trying" said the scientist as he looked at the glaring demons.

"We're just here on a peaceful mission" said Daniel, "we weren't aware that this was your home. We're sorry about this intrusion, and we'll just leave."

"Of course if you refuse to let us leave peacefully" said the Major, "then we may have a bit of a problem."

The demons then growled as they took a step closer on both sides.

"Dr. Jackson" whispered the Major as he looked at the row of sharp teeth, as well as the sharp claws on the hands of the demons in front of him, "when I saw run, I need you and Rodney to fire at the one demon that's facing you. I'll get these guys off balance while you and Rodney shoot the other one, aim for the head on full auto. Once it's down, run as fast as possible towards the exit."

"Got it" whispered Daniel as he aimed at the demon in front of him, the same one that what preparing to strike. MacKay too turned his sidearm towards the demon that Daniel was facing.

"Run" said the Major as Daniel and MacKay shot the demon in front of them while Major Sheppard mentally pushed away the two demons in front of him until they fell onto the floor growling and snarling. Meanwhile Daniel pumped one high calibre round after another into the demon before him, as did MacKay unto the demon fell onto the floor bleeding heavily. The three of them then ran as the remaining two demons got up and ran after the human beings.

The Major shot at the two demons while running since Daniel and MacKay unloaded their magazines on the other demons. Once they reloaded while running, the two of them then fired at the demon while covering the Major. None of them brought any grenades with them since they were afraid that explosions would destabilize the building, a fact that Major Sheppard was cursing under his breath, as they ran while firing. Some rounds hit the demons, while others missed, and soon they reached the main entrance.. the same one that they used to get into the school. The three of them then reloaded their last magazines into their weapons as the two bleeding, but still alive demons, ran around the corner and were about to head out into the open.

"Fire" said Daniel as the three of them fired into both demons.

Once the demons fell, Daniel and the others put their weapons down while breathing hard before looking at each other.

"So… demons?" asked Daniel.

"Yeah, demons" said Major Sheppard as he nodded his head.

"Can we just go home now?" asked a wide eyed MacKay whose hands were still shaking.

"Yeah" said the Major as he patted MacKay on the shoulder before turning him around, and then walking to the SUV, "this is gonna be an interesting report."

TBC.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**The Summers Residence, 2000 hours.**

The Scoobies had spent almost the entire time since coming back from Anya's funeral just having a small get together between themselves with all of the former vengeance demon's favourite food in the living room. They sat around the coffee table just trading stories while they had the food as Giles laughed when Xander talked about how Anya would manically clean the shelves while wondering why the Englishman hadn't left yet. She had cleaned the shelves so hard with the rag that she actually tore it in half without knowing. Willow and Tara were sitting on the larger couch with Dawn, who was drinking some hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows, sitting next to them. When it was her turn to speak, the young brunette told them that Anya gave her life to save hers; and it was that statement that quietened every one while Xander looked at the young woman.

"And for that" said Dawn as she lifted her mug, "I thank you for everything, Anya. And if you're hearing me, I.. I hope you can forgive me."

It was Buffy, who was seated next to Dawn, who held her sister's hands tight before all of them raised their glasses into the air.

"To Anya" said Buffy as she raised her glass, "to someone who I thought was trouble, but who grew on me… and on all of us. Even though I haven't said if enough when I'd should have, but you've been a good friend. And I wish I could have been a better one."

"A lovable nut" said Willow with a small smile, "and someone I wish I got to know better."

"An excitable partner" said Giles as he gave a small smile, "and although I've never said it enough to her, a good friend."

"She had a good heart" said Tara with her mug raised high.

"My love" said Xander softly, "I'll miss you. And… and I'm sorry."

"To Anya" said Buffy again as she lifted her cup, as did the others, into the air.

It was then that a gentle breeze passed by in the living room. It caressed the cheeks of all present; all of whom looked on surprised since the windows were closed. Then just as the breeze appeared in one moment, there was nothing in the next moment.

"Ok" said Buffy as she put down her mug and looked around while standing up, "please tell me that you guys felt that?"

"Yes" said Giles as he looked around confused.

While the others were talking among themselves as to what that breeze could have been, Xander was holding his mug and looking down at the carpet. He was thinking back to the breeze that appeared out of nowhere earlier and gave a small smile. The young man had felt two hands on his cheeks before feeling a pair of lips kissing his. At first he thought that maybe he was going insane, but then he heard a very familiar voice in his ear.

"I love you, Xander" said Anya's voice in his ear, a voice that he noticed that only he had heard, "live, for me."

And it was then that the breeze was gone.

Xander, with all his experiences in fighting the supernatural, knew that Anya had visited him to say one last goodbye. He felt no fear, just warmth. And now, while the others were still wondering what just happened, Xander just whispered softly.

"I love you, Anya….. ya nut."

It was around eight in the evening that Major Sheppard, Daniel, and MacKay arrived at the Summers house carrying some pizza and various appetizers. Walking into the house, Major Sheppard introduced MacKay to Willow who remained wide eyed as she shook his hand.

"Uhh… yeah" said MacKay nodding at the redhead before he walked over to the dining room while Daniel patted the redhead on the shoulder and told her not to worry about it, that he heard MacKay was like this to everyone. Willow smiled at Daniel and nodded her head as Tara walked down the stairs and smiled at Major Sheppard. It was then that the group sat down at the table and talked about their day, with Xander recounting the funeral… everything except for the breeze in the room which all of them agreed should not be shared with anyone. Daniel offered the name of a councillor her knew in L.A. who dealt with loss, and give the dark haired young man his number.

"Thanks" replied Xander as he looked at the card, "I'm guessing Dawn's gonna need it more than me."

"Both of you are gonna need it more than anyone" said Major Sheppard as Tara sat next to him after she, and Buffy brought some plates, and cups for the soda, "but with what you guys have to face everyday? I mean… to be honest with you, we kinda know."

"You do?" asked Buffy as she looked at Giles who stopped what he was doing and looked at the Major, and then at Daniel, and MacKay.

"We went to the high school this morning" said Daniel as everyone of the Scoobies looked at each other, and then at the three of them.

"I wanted to prove that there's another explanation for what's going on here" said MacKay, "and I'm not saying that there isn't something else but…. well, we saw.. some things."

"What did you see?" asked Willow.

"Demons" said Major Sheppard as he took a bite of pizza while the Scoobies looked at each other in surprise while Daniel asked Dawn to pass the soda, "three demons, at least we think they're demons. Rodney seems to think that they're just men in costume."

"They could be" said MacKay as he looked at the Major who smiled at Buffy before looking at the scientist again, "I mean…"

"Your hands were shaking in fear" said the Major, "besides, we all shot them. And they're dead… our people found no zippers on them or… well, whatever they were wearing wasn't a costume."

"You brought the demons back to the base?" asked Buffy as she sat back, "are you gonna be experimenting on them or…"

"No" said Daniel shaking his head, "their bodies have been incinerated. We've already submitted our report to the Pentagon about what we saw and… well, the head of the department we're a part of isn't too fond of having a place where demons, or vampires can be holed up in the open. So he's ordered that the rest of the school be demolished."

"The city'll probably build a new one anyway" said Buffy as she bit into her pizza while looking at the Major. She then sat back and asked how it was that the three of them were so calm about all this, "I mean apparently other than Dr. MacKay there and…"

"Hey" he said while Willow, Dawn and Tara smiled, "I wasn't scared… it was just a healthy fear of the unknown. It happens when you're faced with giant horned… people."

"Of course it does" said Buffy sarcastically as she nodded her head at the scientist.

"I've served in many countries" said Major Sheppard as he looked at Buffy, "a lot of it's been classified but I've seen things…. Horrible things that people do to each other. Then, last year I was selected for a mission to a classified location, and… well… our team got lost. We lost contact with our homebase, we lost contact with the outside world….. essentially we were cut off from the rest of the world."

"How's that possible?" asked Giles, "I mean you have satellites and…."

"Nothing detected us" said the Major, "we were right under their noses of the air force, but they couldn't see us. We saw many weird things there."

"We found out later that the area was emanating electromagnetic interference in a localized area; I keep telling everyone that it was that which was cause all the mass hallucinations" said Mackay, "anyway, the EM field was so intense that nothing could penetrate it. But I got lucky a few weeks ago."

"Yea" said the Major, "and now here we are."

While the Major, and MacKay kept on talking; Tara could see that they were lying about each and every world that was coming out of their mouth. It was then she realized that given what the Major had told her about his job, her brother was telling everyone a cover story. While Major Sheppard and MacKay were talking to Buffy, Xander and Willow were talking, Tara would sometimes glance at Daniel who was talking with Giles and Dawn; she'd looked at the pure white aura that was just behind him. Tara couldn't sense any evil, just a sense of warmth.

It was the same feeling she received earlier that day from the mysterious breeze. Tara didn't want to tell anyone what she had felt, all she knew was that there was nothing that meant any of them harm. Smiling to herself, Tara then took another bite of her pizza before she laughed at something Buffy had said. It was then that Major Sheppard made Xander an offer since he seemed to be the only one there without any particular superhuman skills.

"No that it's a bad thing" said Daniel, "but we've been talking and we were wondering if you'd be interested in being trained by someone from the Sunnydale Army base a few times every week."

"I guess.. I mean since you guys know about the weirdness that goes on around here" said Xander as he leaned forward, "there was this one time a few years ago? It was during Halloween."

Xander then told the surprised Major Sheppard, MacKay, and Daniel about what happened to the Scoobies during the Halloween when they had become their costumes. Xander told them that he was dressed as a soldier, and after the spell was broken.. he retained the memories, and the training of a soldier.

"Amazing" said Daniel as Dawn chuckled at how excited the archaeologist seemed to be upon hearing their stories. Even Giles was taken aback at how calm, or excited they had been. However, it was MacKay who was the sceptic of the group as he put his hands up in defeat and told them that while he'll grudgingly admit that maybe he did see demons… having a spell that makes become their costumes is the most ridiculous things he had ever heard.

"It is" he repeated as he looked at Major Sheppard and Daniel, before looking at the Scoobies, "come on… seriously?"

"I was a ghost" said Willow shrugging her shoulders as Major Sheppard and Daniel looked at her, "I mean I died and everything… but after the spell I became my old living self again."

"And I became someone from the eighteenth century" said Buffy, "I remember…. Well…. I remember stuff that I really shouldn't remember since history's not my thing."

"It's neither mine" said Major Sheppard, "I leave all that to the brainiacs."

"Hey" said Daniel and MacKay together while the Major shrugged his shoulders before looking at Xander again.

"It's one thing to have those memories and experiences" said Major Sheppard, "it's another thing to actually experience that training for yourself. Just give it a try if you feel up to it, I mean it's a way to keep your mind off…. recent events."

"He's right, Xander" said Giles as he nodded his head at the young man, "Willow, and Buffy told me you've been working construction. So maybe this is something you could do for an hour a few days a wee after work."

"How about you, Dr. Giles?" asked Daniel, "are you heading back to London?"

"Yes" said Giles as everyone looked at him in surprise. Buffy was about to say something but Giles started to talk before she could get in a word, "I have a few things that I need to pack. I left in a hurry after I heard of Anya's passing. Someone needs to look after the Magic Box with Anya gone… and… I believe I'll be staying here for a while longer. She put everything into that store and I feel it should remain open."

"For her memory" said Dawn as Giles nodded his head.

They group continued talking for two more hours before Daniel asked Buffy if she was going to go hunting for any Vampires that night. Surprised, the Slayer said that she was planning to go on patrol in an hour or so once Dawn had gone to sleep.

"Do you mind having some company?" asked Daniel as he motioned towards himself and MacKay, "we won't get in your way, and if they do happen to come after us… then we've got some weapons."

"Ordinary bullets won't work against vampires, Dr. Jackson" said Giles, "you shoot a vampire, all they'll feel is some pain before they start coming after you again."

"I see" said Daniel, "and the Council hasn't helped you with weapons in beating them? I'm just curious."

"I have my own weapons" said Giles as Daniel looked on impressed while he leaned forward, "axes, swords, crossbows… and of course stakes."

"I have a weapons chest at home" said Buffy, "just in case. And even some stakes under the kitchen sink…. Vampires and wood don't really mix. They literally go poof and turn to dust."

"Interesting" said Daniel before looking at Buffy, "if you don't mind that is…. We'd like to take a look at you in action. I mean… this isn't to recruit you, but we're curious about what a Slayer does… and how she does what she does."

"Ok" said Buffy nodding her head.

"I'll come along as well" said Giles as Buffy looked at the older man, and gave a small smile.

"So" said Major Sheppard as he leaned back, "there's the other reason that we needed to talk to you guys."

"The day the Initiative was brought down? Gone kaput? Made a boom?" asked Buffy.

"Yeah" said Daniel, "I'm guessing you guys were there?"

"Dawn and Tara weren't there" said Willow as she looked at the Major nervously, "I mean… just so you know. I didn't want Tara near that place and…."

"Will" said Tara while Major Sheppard chuckled.

The Scoobies then recounted what happened that day after Daniel received permission from them to tape the conversation. It had taken an hour of the Scoobies talking, followed by various questions from Major Sheppard, Daniel, and MacKay before they were done… and Daniel had shut off the recorder. He told the Scoobies that it was going to be filed with their department, and the director will make sure that everything remains classified… that no one else will know about their involvement in taking down the Initiative.

"But" said Daniel, "Jack wanted me to thank you guys for what you did."

"Jack?" asked Giles.

"General Jack O'Neill" said Daniel.

"I wouldn't check up on him" said the Major as he smiled at Willow who opened her eyes wide and shook her head. She remembered what Colonel Carter and Major Davis had told her what would happen if she broke into secured files again; plus she was excited about working with Colonel Carter and MacKay, even though the latter seemed a bit miffed that the redhead was brought in without him being consulted, so she didn't want to jeopardize any of that.

"I won't" said Willow as Tara looked at her girlfriend and smiled. She could sense how excited the redhead was before she looked at Major Sheppard.

"If he was in charge… or if this department existed back then" said the Major, "he'd have put a stop to the craziness."

"Adam was the ultimate in craziness" said Buffy as she recalled what she had to do to beat him; what Willow had to do…. The dangerous spell. Once she remembered what happened, she gave a light shudder. However, she didn't tell Daniel, Major Sheppard, and MacKay that Willow used a spell to call on the power of the First Slayer so that the redhead, Giles, and Xander could combine all their abilities and knowledge into her body.

'Yeah, not bringing that up' thought Buffy to herself.

"Tara" said Willow as she looked at the blonde, "when are you leaving tomorrow to see your dad?"

"Ummm" said Tara as she looked at the Major and blushed before looking at Willow again, "tomorrow morning and… and I.. I'd like you to go with us too, like we talked about and…"

"No" said Willow waving her hands nervously while shaking her head towards Tara, and then at Major Sheppard, "I mean, thanks but… this is the first time you're meeting your real dad. It should be just you and him, John and your other brother."

"But…" said Tara.

"You go" said Willow gently, "maybe once you guys have settled down, and got to know each other; then you can introduce me."

"You sure?" asked Major Sheppard, "it's no trouble if you come with us."

"I'm sure" said Willow nodding her head.

It was then that Dawn sheepishly raised her hand into the air. Turning to the young brunette who now had a massive grin on her face as Major Sheppard and Daniel looked at her, Dawn then asked of there was any possible way for her to get on a fighter jet.

"Dawn" said Buffy as she rubbed her forehead while the brunette shrugged her forehead. Xander patted the young girl on her back before asking the Major if he could make it happen.

"Yeah" said Dawn, "my birthday's in a few days and…"

"No it's not" said Willow, Buffy, and Giles together while Dawn smiled at the Major.

"How about I ask my superiors?" asked Major Sheppard as Dawn nodded her head excitedly while all Tara could do was smile at the young brunette, and then glance at her brother. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she thought about meeting her father, and her other half-brother.

'My real dad' thought Tara to herself as she listened to the others talking around the table, 'I have a real dad. Oh no, what will he think of me? Will he be happy or…. Or will he be mad? Should I call it off? No… No, I shouldn't call it off. He deserves to know he has a daughter and.. and I want to know him; even if he doesn't love me or…'

Tara then shook her head as she felt Willow tightening her hold on the blonde witch's hand under the table. She looked at her girlfriends who was looking back at her, and smiled. It was that smile that made all of Tara's negative thoughts just melt away.

'I want to meet him' thought Tara as she looked at Major Sheppard, 'I really want to.'

**The Hamptons, 1600 hours; the next day.**

The only time that Tara travelled by air was after she left home and headed to Sunnydale to escape the abuse from her father, brother, and her Cousin; or at least that's what she thought they were at that time. As Tara was sitting on the window seat and looking at the clouds fly by, she thought about the fact that her father, or the man she thought was her real father, would have treated her even worse if he knew the truth.

'He never hit me' thought Tara to herself, 'but he and Donnie did tie me up and try to exorcise the 'demon' out of me; what they did was mostly psychological but…. but if he knew that I really wasn't theirs, then I think I won't be alive now.'

Tara then sat back on her seat as she glanced at the Major who was sitting next to her fast asleep. She knew that they still had a few more hours to go before landing, and they had sent most of the time in the air talking about their lives. Tara found out that Major Sheppard had been married for a few years, but it ended and they were now divorced; and in return, Tara told the Major about her mother and her family life. Now, as she looked at the sleeping Major, Tara wondered what was it that he really did.

'I know he wouldn't tell me' thought Tara to herself as she looked in front of her and slowly closed her eyes, 'but I guess it's just human nature to know. I'll wait for him to tell me, whatever it is… it must be a heck of a classified project.'

It was an hour later that the plane landed; the landing itself waking both of the siblings up from their sleep. They looked at each other, and then out the window as the plane slowly came to a stop. Tara had packed a small bag for the trip which Major Sheppard had insisted on carrying, along with his bag that he said MacKay and Dr. Weir had brought for him when they arrived in Sunnydale. Although Tara knew that it was a lie, all she could do was smile at the Major…. However, she also knew that he felt bad about lying to her about it.

Unknown to the witch, Major Sheppard was really beamed back to Colorado Springs the previous night after he returned to the base with an excited Daniel, and a still fearful MacKay, who said that they saw Buffy kill a few vampires while they stayed behind with Giles. Once the Major had packed a bag in Colorado Springs, the Prometheus beamed him back to the Army Base just as MacKay and the others were getting their gear packed; they were preparing to leave Sunnydale, and MacKay couldn't be any happier.

Back in the present, both the Major and Tara got out of the plane and headed to a counter where they could rent a car. Once they collected the car, the Major placed their bags in the trunk before the both of them got in. Checking the inside pocket of his jacket for the letter from Laura, Major Sheppard then had a feeling of being watched; he looked up and glanced at the entry way to the airport terminal where he saw a woman in a white dress leaning against one of the pillars with her hands clasped together in front of her. The Major saw the woman give him a small smile before he nodded her head, and then looked away.

"John?" asked Tara as she put on her seat belt and noticed the smile that was on teh man's face. She saw him looking at something outside, so she looked around and didn't see anything of note as he started the car. She then looked at the Major again with her eyes narrowed and asked if everything was alright.

"Yea" he replied as he glanced up again and saw that the blonde woman wasn't there anymore. He then turned to Tara and asked her if she was ready for this, "or if you'd like… I can leave you with dad and…"

"Don't you dare" said Tara as she widened her eyes and gently slapped his arm before leaning back comfortably against the seat, "just stay?"

"If you need me" said the Major nodding his head. He then started the drive to the house that was in his family; the same one they had used for their summer vacations. As the sedan came to the main gate, he stopped at the security hut and identified himself to the surprised guard. The guard then opened the door after a few seconds and the Major drove the car into the estate.

Tara looked on as the car was drive through a roadway that was surrounded by green. She saw that there were stables on one side, as well as some horses just grazing on the field. She then looked at the Major who shrugged his shoulders, before she looked out again. It was a few seconds later that they came up to a large house where the Major parked the car next to the three door garage.

"Wow" said Tara as she got out of the car and looked around. She could feel a cool breeze going past her, as well as hear the galloping horses on the other side of the field. Tara then turned as Major Sheppard got out of the car, and then he took out their bags while the front door opened and a younger man with dark hair, and a white striped, shirt stood watching with his hands in his trouser pockets.

The two of them walked towards the front door as the man walked down and frowned at the both of them.

"John" said the man nodding his head as the Major approached him.

"Dave" replied the Major as Tara stood next to him. She could see that the both of them weren't on the best of terms from the space between them, and their cold attitudes towards each other. She didn't need her aura reading skills to tell her that maybe it was a mistake to come see her other brother, who was standing in front of her, and her father. Tara then saw the Major put down one of the bags before placing a hand on Tara's back, "this is Tara, Tara Maclay."

"Hi" said Dave as Tara suddenly blushed and looked down nervously before looking up again.

"H… Hi" she said as she waved her hand.

"We need to see dad" said the Major while Dave looked on confused at Tara before he looked tat eh Major again, "is he here?"

"Yea" said Dave, "but he's going to the airport in an hour. What's the Air Force need with dad? Of course I'm not at all suspicious that you decide to suddenly show up after…"

"Dave" said teh Major with a sigh, "I was away for a while. And when I came back, I found some information. But… but I need to talk to dad. This is urgent."

"Please don't tell me you got this person pregnant and now you need help?" asked Dave as he motioned towards Tara who opened her eyes wide, along with her mouth as she looked at her other brother.

"What?" said the Major in disgust, "no! Sheesh… what's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry" said Dave as he looked at Tara who was as white as a sheet, "John hasn't exactly been calling up to find out how we're doing, or how dad's doing, or…. Anyway, I apologize… I jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have."

"I… I…." said Tara as she shook her head.

"Come on" said John as he glared at Dave before he nodded at Tara.

Sighing, Dave led them up the stairs and into the house. Tara and the Major put their bags next to the door before following Dave into the house. The blonde witch looked around the house with eyes wide open before looking at the Major who just shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't too long before they reached a pair of closed oak doors that Dave opened, and then peeked inside. Tara saw her other brother then look back at the Major and nod his head before opening the door to reveal a grey haired, bespectacled man who stood up and then walked around a large desk as he looked at the Major with his eyes wide open in surprise.

"John?" said Patrick Sheppard, the Major's father.

"Dad" nodded the Major who looked on in surprise as Patrick approached him and put his hands on the younger man's shoulders and looked him up and down. Patrick then looked into the Major's eyes and smiled before giving the stunned Major a hug.

"It's been too long, John" said Patrick as the Major looked at Dave and Tara confused.

"Ummm… Dad?" said the Major as Patrick pulled away while her motioned towards Tara, "there's someone I want you to meet… this is…"

"Laura?" asked Patrick in surprise as his legs trembled at the sight of Tara, who looked so similar to the woman he loved about all those years ago, "Laura?"

"Who's Laura?" asked Dave as he looked at Major Sheppard, and then at Tara who was looking at the floor, and then looking up nervously at Patrick.

"No… no… sir" said Tara nervously as she started to stutter, the feelings that she was getting from being close to her real father threatening to overwhelm her. However, it was then that she felt Major Sheppard holding on to her hands that she calmed down slightly while Patrick gently held on to both her arms, "I… I'm Tara. I… I'm Laura Maclay's daughter."

"You look so much like your mother" said Patrick with a smile, "but Laura never told me she had a daughter."

"She… she had me after… after she… she left… working for you" said Tara nervously as she glanced up at her father, and then looked down again.

Dave looked on surprised at how emotional his father seemed to be getting, especially in regards to this Laura character and her daughter. He then looked at his brother who was reaching into his jacket, and he suspected that the Major knew more that he was letting on.

"Dad" said the Major as he handed the picture of Tara as a little girl, and the envelope that contained the letter from Laura to him, "I was away on a classified mission, and when I got back… I had these in my P.O box. I think you should read it."

Patrick let go of the young woman's arms and looked at the picture, and then at the back which had Tara's name… and the year that the picture was taken.

"She was a wonderful woman, your mother" said Patrick as he looked at the picture, and then handed it to Dave who looked at it, "and…. and…."

Patrick had taken the letter out of the envelope when he suddenly stopped talking. The smile on his face vanished as Tara looked at the Major in worry, and then back at the older man who continued to read the letter. Tara then saw him look up at her, and then at the letter again, and then up at the Major who nodded his head.

"Laur…. Laura" said the man as he stumbled back as Tara rushed forward, as did Dave to stabilize him. Patrick regained his balance and told Dave that he was alright, before he looked at Tara who was holding onto his arm which she released suddenly and then stepped back, "she… she died? And…. And…. why didn't she tell me about you?"

"It's in the letter, dad" said the Major as he walked up to, and stood next to Tara.

Patrick handed the letter to Dave, who started to read it and eventually he looked up at Tara in surprise. The older Sheppard then walked towards the blonde witch with his legs trembling at the revelation he just read and placed his hand gently on the crying young woman's cheeks.

The two of them didn't say any words while the older Sheppard wiped the tears that were coming from Tara's eyes. He then reached around Tara, and brought her in for a hug as she gave a good cry on his shoulder while he rubbed the back of her head gently. He looked at the Major who nodded his head, and it was from the serious look on his son's face that everything finally crashed upon him.

He was hugging his daughter.

Patrick hugged the young woman tightly as he closed his eyes and remembered Laura; he remembered the last day that he had ever seen her. He remembered the last kiss they shared the night that she left his employ.

"Live a good life, Pat" said Laura as she look back at the man with a smile that lifted his heart, "I'll love you forever."

'I love you too, Laura' thought Patrick to himself as he tightened his hold on Tara.

"My daughter" whispered Patrick into Tara ear before he looked into her red, tear filled eyes, "welcome home."

TBC.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**The Sheppard Residence, the Hamptons, 1615 hours.**

Patrick Sheppard couldn't believe it at all. She was gently rubbing the back of the head of the young woman who was hugging him to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. He heard her sniffle as she held on tight to the older Sheppard while Patrick's eyes remained closed. He had so many questions going through his head; especially how long Major Sheppard had known about Tara. He knew the other questions could be answered by the girl who was hugging him tightly.

This was his daughter.

Patrick gently pulled away and placed both his hands on the young woman's cheeks and looked into her eyes.

"I.. I have so many questions" said Patrick as he looked at Tara who nodded her head.

It was then that Patrick shook his head and turned to Dave and introduced him as her older brother.

"We've had a first awkward meeting" said Dave as he gave Tara a hug. He looked at the Major while Tara held on to Dave tight, however the latter was still a bit nervous. He had several questions himself about the young woman who was hugging him, and as if the Major knew what he was going to ask… Major Sheppard answered it for him.

"We've already run a test against my DNA" said the Major as the two Sheppard men looked at the Major, "we're related."

"How long have you known?" asked Patrick as he looked at his oldest son.

"It's been two days" said the Major while Tara pulled back and just looked at Dave before smiling and wiping her eyes. She then walked back to the major and held his hand while he explained that he had just returned from a classified mission, and that when he checked his P.O box.. he found that letter from Laura. As they drove to the house from the airport, Major Sheppard told Tara that they didn't want to tell his family about demons, or Warren, or the supernatural… at least not yet.

"No sense in freaking them out" said Tara as the Major nodded his head, "plus hearing that from someone you just met is… is going to be strange."

"Oh yea" said the Major as he continued to drive the car.

So they came up with a story that was half true; that the Major immediately went to Sunnydale once he got the letter, they met and talked over some food and he stayed over in the city to get to know her a little. He told them that in the meantime he had gotten a test done thanks to a friend of his over at the Air Force Academy hospital who called someone in Sunnydale to run a DNA test. Once it was confirmed that they really were brother and sister, he told Patrick and Dave that he wanted to call them and gave them the news.

"But Tara thought it would be better" said the Major as he looked at a blushing Tara who was looking at both Patrick and Dave, "to come here and surprise you."

"And it's been a happy surprise" said Patrick as he walked towards Tara and held both her hands.

The blonde witch then looked up at her father, and smiled before she looked away when she felt an emotion coming from Dave. She looked at her brother and could see that he was doubtful about who Tara was, and she could tell that he was about to speak up.

"You.. you could… could run a paternity test" said Tara as she looked at Patrick, and then at Dave, "I… I don't mind and… and I.. I think it's… ummmm… good to know and… and be sure."

"Nonsense" said Patrick, "there's…."

"Dad" said Dave as he walked forward while looking at Tara, "I think Tara's right. I… I think we need to be sure that she related. Dad, I know you're happy about this… and I know John, I mean I guess John trusts her. But maybe it's better if we be sure that she's related to us… I'd like to know for sure that she's my sister. No offence, Tara."

"No" said Tara shaking her head.

The blonde witch knew that Dave didn't mean what he said in a disparaging way; he just wanted to be sure that she was who she said she was. And that's what Tara wanted, to relieve her brother off his doubts.

"Alright" said Patrick as he nodded his head at Dave, and then at Tara before he reached out with his elbow in Tara's direction. The young woman looked at the Major who nodded his head before the blonde witch walked towards the older Sheppard and then wrapped her arm around his elbow. Patrick then told Dave that he was going to walk with Tara out in the back garden.

"You have that meeting in Hong Kong" said Dave, "that acquisition and…."

"Call Mr. Gao and tell him that…"

"I… I don't want to keep you away" said Tara as she looked at Patrick and then at Dave, "I.. I really don't. I.. I guess I should have called first and…"

"Nonsense" said Patrick as he brushed Tara's hair from her forehead before looking at Dave, "Dave, can you contact…."

"Dad" said Dave as he walked towards Patrick. He then looked at Tara apologetically, and then at Patrick again, "getting this was a nightmare. And he already said that if we delay the signing, then he'll sell the company off to…."

"P… Please" said Tara as she looked at Patrick and gave a small smile, "you… you should go to Hong Kong. I… John and I can stay here and… and I can catch up with Dave and…."

"We'll be here" said Major Sheppard, "I took a few days extra leave so… I'll be here too."

"Why don't all of you come with me" said Patrick as he looked at Tara who gave him a smile that made his heart jump; it reminded him of Laura.

"I.. I didn't bring my passport" said Tara sheepishly while the Major just shrugged his shoulders.

"Let me talk to the man" said Patrick as he walked past Tara and headed to his table. It was then, while Patrick was walking away from her, did Tara notice something odd in his aura. Tara narrowed her eyes while the older man's back was to her as everything seemed to move in slow motion; she wanted to be sure that she really saw what she was seeing.

'A black spot on his aura' thought Tara as she looked with shock at Major Sheppard, who noticed the look on her face which slowly turned to distress. Dave had then walked past the both of them while Major Sheppard headed to Tara; the former so that he could help the older Sheppard look for Mr. Gao's number, and the Latter stood next to Tara and asked if she was alright.

"I… John, does Pat… I mean… does dad have a heart condition.. or…" whispered Tara as Patrick sat down on his chair while telling Tara and Major Sheppard that he'll convince Mr. Gao to reschedule. The Major nodded his head at his father and then looked at Tara again who's face indicated that she was distressed.

"I'm not sure, why?" asked the Major.

"I see a black spot on his aura right above the chest" whispered Tara as her eyes started to water after taking another glance in the older Sheppard's direction, "John… I… a black spot on the back of the chest and.. and I just saw another black spot on his front. It's not good, John… he… he…"

"Dad" said the Major as he turned to the older Sheppard who, along with Dave, looked up at the Major and then at Tara who had a look of distress on her face, "tell him that you need to see a doctor about your heart."

"That's a good idea" said Patrick as the dial tone on the other line stopped and a voice came through. Patrick was then talking to Mr. Gao while Dave looked on confused at the Major, and then at the worried look on Tara's face, and then back to Major Sheppard again. The man was shaking his head confused when the Major told him to get the car to the front of the house, that this wasn't a joke and that they needed to get to the hospital.

"John, I…" said Dave.

"Explain later" said Major Sheppard while he threw the keys to the rental car towards Dave who grabbed it in mid-air, "right now, get the car to the front door. Move!"

"Dave, please" said Tara as she looked at her new brother.

It was the look on Tara's face; a look of fear mixed with sadness that made the now Middle brother run out of Patrick's office and out the front door. In the meantime, Patrick had just put the phone down after agreeing with the businessman to hold the meeting in New York city instead of Hong Kong next week; he told Patrick that he was heading to New York to talk to another buyer, and that he'll give Patrick another chance to make an offer on his company.

"Now., we have all the time in the world to talk and…" said Patrick as he stood up just as a car honked from the front driveway, leading Patrick to look around him and ask where Dave have gone off to.

"Dad" said Major Sheppard, "don't argue with us… just get in the car outside."

"John?" asked Patrick, "what's going on?"

"I…. I have a bad feeling and… and when I have bad feelings.." said Tara as she shook her head before looking at Patrick again, "please, I… I can't explain this… this feeling I have. I just know it's bad and… and I just found I have brothers, and a father… and I want to spend time with you so please come with us to the hospital? Please?"

Patrick didn't understand what was happening, but one look at Tara's distressed face told him that whatever it was, was serious; that she was being serious. It's the same serious look that Laura had all those years ago. Nodding his head, he saw Tara walk towards him and gently held his hand. The man then walked out of his office, led by Major Sheppard before they went out of the house and entered the awaiting car. The Major sat next to Dave in the driver's seat while Tara and Patrick sat together in the back before Major Sheppard told his brother to drive to the nearest Emergency Room.

Dave looked at Major Sheppard confused before the Air Force officer told his brother to get a move on, that it was urgent.

"John, Tara" said Patrick while Dave nodded his head and then started to drive the car out of teh estate, "what's going on?"

"I…. I sometime have certain feelings when something bad's going to happen" said Tara as she looked at Patrick, "I… mean… my dad…. Or at least the man who I thought was my dad he… well, I have a sixth sense for problems and…"

"What does that man have to do with anything?" asked Patrick referring to Laura's husband as Dave looked at the rear-view mirror, and saw something on Tara's face that told him that she had said something that she didn't want to say. Dave then looked questioningly at Major Sheppard who looked back at him, and then avoided his eyes and looked out the windshield. It was then that Dave knew that something was terribly wrong.

"Tara" said Dave as he looked at the rear-view mirror at the witch; he had just met this woman who he just found was a sister he never knew existed from an affair that his own father had with her mother years ago… but the idea that she could have been physically hurt by Laura's husband sickened him to the core. However, he also knew that this wasn't the time to discuss all of this; that it would be better once the doctors had cleared Patrick so that all of their minds were at ease before they went home and talked, "we can talk about it another time; I mean we can talk about it now, but…."

"I… I would like that.. I mean talk about it later" said Tara as she looked at Dave's reflection, before looking at her father; Tara was worried that what she had to say about what happened to her would only exacerbate Patrick's condition, 'I just hope it's nothing bad… Goddess, please don't let it be anything horrible.'

"Dad" said Major Sheppard, "we'll talk about it later."

"You know what Tara's talking about?" asked Patrick.

"Yea" said the Major, "but Dave's right. We need to check you out, and then we can talk."

Patrick figured out that it was best just to listen as he nodded at the Major in agreement. The man looked at Major Sheppard's back, and wanted to open his mouth to say something that he had always wanted to say; ever since the day the Officer walked out of the house. Patrick shook his head and figured that the air could be cleared later on as he looked at Tara once again and held her hand tight. The four of them at un silence as the car drove into the hospital parking lot.

"Dad" said the Major as he got out of the car, along with the others, before walking towards the four story building, "just don't complain about anything, just listen. Dave, you too."

"Alright" said Patrick as he looked at the serious looked his oldest son was giving him before he looked at a confused Dave. The older Sheppard then looked at Tara who was nervously looking at the ground while holding on to his hand tightly, as if she didn't want to let go. Patrick then looked on as the Major asked him if he was seeing anyone for any problem, "I'm getting old John, of course I'm seeing someone for my back, my heart, my…"

"I need you to talk to the heart guy" said Major Sheppard as he opened the door to the lobby of the hospital and motioned the others to get in, "I know you wanna ask why, I know you wanna complain… but just for this one time, just listen to me."

"Alright" said Patrick calmly as he nodded his head at Major Sheppard.

It wasn't too long before the group was in Patrick's cardiologist's office. The doctor had scheduled the older man for a physical in six months, and was surprised he had come in early, and voluntarily, given that multiple calls had to be made to the man just to get him to come in for a check-up since he'd reschedule appointments. Patrick then introduced the doctor to Tara who the latter was surprised to learn was the older Sheppard's daughter.

"Wow" said the doctor after Patrick told him with pride that Major Sheppard had found Tara before bringing her to see him. The doctor then shook his head and asked the others to take a seat before he looked at Patrick and asked him if there was anything wrong, "it usually takes weeks of rescheduling after you're scheduled to even get you through the door."

"I just thought I'd get a surprise check up" said Patrick, not wanting to tell the doctor that Tara had a feeling that something was wrong. The older man then turned to Tara who gave him a small smile before nodding her head, indicating she understood the reason for the lie.

The doctor listened to everything Patrick had said when the younger man suddenly had a look on his face. Tara was looking closely while Major and Dave were standing together as the doctor asked Patrick to head to the third floor for a routine Electro Cardiogram; that he just wanted to rule something out. Patrick looked at the man confused, and then looked at Major Sheppard, Dave, and Tara before looking at the doctor and asking him if there was something wrong.

"The ECG will confirm my suspicions" said the doctor as he wrote something on a form, "take this to the third floor, and then once it's done.. I need you back here. I'm hoping it's nothing… I really am."

Patrick then got up and nodded at the doctor and sighed before turning around and looking at his newly found daughter. The young woman rushed out and held on to his hand and smiled before the four of them headed out. Tara, Major Sheppard, and Dave stood around patiently while Patrick did the ECG; the three of them not wanting to speculate on what was going on; Tara, in particular, hopeful that what she saw in Patrick's aura was just an aberration. She looked at the Major who was standing next to her while Dave was pacing.

It was nearly thirty minutes later that Patrick walked out of the room and then, with Tara's hands in his, the four walked back to the cardiologist's office where the nurse asked them to hold on for a few minutes while he checked out the results of the ECG on his computer. It was ten silent minutes later that Tara and the others walked back into the cardiologist's office where they noticed the look on the doctor's face.

"Patrick" said the doctor as he signalled at the older man to take a seat before he looked at the computer one more time, and then looked back at the older Sheppard, "after you told me that yesterday you had difficulty breathing…"

"I was just breathing hard" said Patrick shrugging his shoulders, "it's nothing big and…"

"You've also had pain in your abdominal area?" said the doctor as the older Sheppard nodded his head, "you may have had a very mild heart attack. Your ECG's showing signs of…. Patrick, I need you to trust me. Your ECG's showing that something's wrong. I want to admit you into the hospital and…"

"Now?" asked Patrick while Tara closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Now" said the doctor as he looked at Patrick, and then at a shocked Dave who looked Tara who was now looking back at him. The doctor then told Patrick that he needed to run a blood test o check for a chemical that dying heart muscles release into the bloodstream; that it would tell him if there really was a heart attack, and how bad, "if it wasn't an attack, then it could be a multitude of other conditions… but all I can tell you is that something's wrong with your ECG. I'll take blood from you now, and then put a rush on the tests; we'll get a result either way in an hour."

"Su… sure" said a shocked Patrick as he looked at Tara again who gave him a nervous smile.

It would be later that day that Patrick, and the others learnt that the older Sheppard really did have a mild heart attack the previous day. The doctor told Patrick that he was scheduling an angiogram the next day, first thing in the morning, to check his heart and that in the meantime he'll be giving the older Sheppard some medications to take.

"I don't know what made you come today" said the doctor as he looked at Patrick, "but whatever it is, I think it saved your life."

"B… but it was just mild" said Dave.

"Yesterday's one? Yes, it was" said the doctor, "but the next one may not be. That's why I need to check on what's going on."

"See, Patrick" said the doctor as he tuned to look at the older man, "this is why I always told you that we need an ECG during your physical. I should have pushed you."

"I'd have pushed back" said Patrick.

"We'll find out what's going on tomorrow" said the doctor, "in the meantime, I'll be admitting you into the hospital immediately. I'll have some medications sent to your room and in the meantime, I need you to relax."

"Can my children stay?" asked Patrick as he glanced at the smile on Tara's face.

**Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, 1700 hours.**

Angel was in his office moping behind his desk with his hand rubbing his chin while he thought about what had just happened the previous night. Shaking his head in disbelieve, he stood up before walking out of his office and standing behind the counter of the hotel as he looked at the lobby and remembered the battle that occurred the previous night. He, Gunn, and Fred arrived back at the Hyperion in the nick of time to save his son, Connor who betrayed him earlier by sending him to the bottom of the ocean…. A fate that because of his being a vampire that Angel escaped from; and Cordelia, who he and the others were surprised to see following her being taken to the higher plains by what Angel would call the Powers that Be.

'Cordy' thought Angel to himself as he thought about the former Sunnydale resident. They were surprised to learn that she had returned with no memory of who they were, or who she was. Angel wanted to protect her from the truth about what Angel Investigations did, but after the attack by the demon last night; Cordelia had left the Hyperion. None of them knew where she had gone, not until a smug Connor told Angel that Cordelia asked him for protection… not Angel, and that he was going to give it to her.

"Stay away, dad" said Conner before he left, leaving Angel in bewildered surprise.

Back in the present, Angel was taken out of his thoughts when he looked at the time. He knew that he and Gunn were supposed to head to the California Physics Institute Symposium to hear Fred give her presentation in an hour. Angel was about to head back into his office to get some things for the road just as Gunn ran down the stairs and shouted at Angel to turn on the television that was hanging in the lobby, over the weapons cases.

The vampire picked up the remote and turned on the television just as Gunn grabbed the remote and turned the channel to the news. The two of them looked on in shock as the news showed what seemed to be an explosion coming from a building just before it collapsed into a smoking pile of rubble. They then looked on as the building right next to it fell as well.

"What the hell?" asked Angel as he looked at the screen while a news ticker at the bottom had just the words Breaking News written on it. He then looked at Gunn and was about to say something when the dark skinned man pointed at the screen again.

"That's not all, there was already one explosion" said Gunn as Angel looked at the screen as the view changed to another building, a towering office block that he recognized; a building that housed the single greatest evil organization he had ever known, Wolfram and Heart. Angel looked at the image and knew that the angle of the shot was probably from a security camera on the adjacent building.

All of a sudden, the picture started to shake as a loud booming sound appeared out of nowhere. Angel and Gunn looked on speechlessly as the glass from the Wolfram and Heart building crashed onto the ground in sharp shards while people ran. It was then, a few seconds later, that there was another massive explosion from inside the building itself that Angel that Gunn saw with eyes opened wide as numerous bystanders were killed instantly. Then, just as they thought it was over, there was another four explosions on different floors that led to the entire office building collapsing.

"We need to get out there" said Angel as he looked at Gunn, "call Wesley, call Lorne and…. Fred…. Tell Fred to stay where she is. We'll pick her up and…"

Angel and Gunn then turned towards the front door when they heard engine sounds that were heading towards them. It was just a few seconds later that the two of them dove for cover as a black van crashed through the front doors of the hotel and came to a stop in the lobby. This was soon followed by another van that crashed through the doors, and then through the counter, and the office, just as Gunn and Angel dove in another direction to avoid it.

"Check on that guy" shouted Angel as Gunn, his face covered in dust, and blood dripping from his forehead that was cut thanks to some flying debris, stumbled to the other van to make sure that the driver was alive. And if he was, Gunn wanted to beat him up until whoever it was told him why they decided to crash through the front door.

While Gunn stumbled off, Angel walked to the other van in the lobby with his 'vamp face' on and growled at the bald man who looking back at him with a smile on his face from the driver's seat.

"This guy's dead" shouted Gunn from Angel's office as he ran out into the lobby where Angel had already grabbed the bald man in the driver's seat by the collar and smashed him to the side of the van.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" shouted Angel as the bald man coughed up some blood before laughing.

"It's coming" said the man as he looked at Angel, "the allies of the Slayer… the one destined to save her… he'll die."

"What?" asked Gunn as he looked at the man, and then at Angel who was snarling at the man.

"What about Buffy?" asked Angel as he slammed the man against the side of the van again, "tell me!"

"From beneath you" said the man as he laughed, "it'll eat the world from beneath. It's coming… and now, with the passing of the destined one… the Slayer will fail. The Slayer will fail and the line will be ended."

"Angel?" asked Gunn.

"Get the phone" said Angel while he held on to the man, "call Buffy, tell her that…"

"No one can save her" said the bald man, "no one."

'Who sent you" said Gunn.

"Gunn! The phone" said Angel.

"I was the distraction" said the man as he turned his head towards the back of the van, and then looked at Angel again. Gunn noticed the look the man had on his face as he looked at the rear of the van before he looked at Angel again. The bald, dark skinned man then ran to the rear of the van while the man that Angle was holding against the van continued to talk, "a distraction that was meant to pave the way.. the way for it to take over the world."

"Who?" asked Angel.

"The First" said the man as Angel's eyes went wide while Gunn opened the rear doors of the van, and then stepped back n shock.

"Angel!" shouted Gunn, "Get out! Now! It's a…."

"The First is coming! From beneath you, it devours!" shouted the man as Angel's and Gunn's worlds turned white.

The aftermath of the two massive explosions had cause a minor tremor that took out the Hyperion Hotel, leaving it a smoking rubble.. just as the explosions that had taken out Wolfram and Heart, as well at Connor's loft where he and Cordelia were staying.

On top of the building that was adjacent to the Hyperion Hotel, a blonde young woman stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She was smiling at the destruction that her agents had caused before she turned around and vanished into thin air. She was heading back to the man who was her primary, the man who was strong enough to be her vessel.. to hold her power until she had her physical form again.

She had plans for their next target. And the next, and the next.

But the champions of the Powers had to be taken care of first. Along with the representatives of the Senior Partners. One was already killed in the explosion, and in the other… the Senior Partners knew that the First was in play, and they had better stay out of her way.

"Hello, Caleb" said the young girl who reappeared in the familiar flower dress, and brunette hair that the priest in front of her was so fond of- that of a girl he murdered years ago in a church.

"Plans are almost ready" said Caleb as he looked up and smiled at her.

"We have the biggest players against us taken out of the picture" said the girl with a grin, "I'll have my agent in the prison kill Faith, and then you'll take care of the other one…. The other threat… well, not a threat but a nuisance."

"The Watchers Council" said Caleb, "that'll be my pleasure. And the Bringers are ready to act against the sinners… those sinful women."

'Once they're gone" said the girl with a smile, "The Slayer's next."

TBC.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**The Summers Home, Willow and Tara's Room, 1710 hours.**

Xander and the others had seen off Giles nearly three hours ago so that he could get off to the airport. He was supposed to catch a flight from the Sunnydale Airport to Los Angeles, and from Los Angeles to London. The older man said goodbye to Buffy, Willow, and Dawn, before taking Xander to one side after the other Scoobies had gone into the house. He heard the taxi behind him honking it's horn which made the Watcher turn around and tell the man that he was just going to say goodbye to his friend. Frowning, Giles then turned to look at Xander again before he put a hand gently on his shoulder while he whispered some words on wisdom.

Xander nodded his head before watching the older man walk off, and then get into the car. Giles had already told everyone that he was going to be gone for a few days, and that he'll be back very soon. Once the taxi had vanished in the distance, Xander walked back into the house and sighed.

Back in the present, Xander was playing some card games with Dawn and Buffy, while Willow was in her room. The excited redhead told them about the job offer she received from Colonel Carter just a few minutes ago and how excited she was to work on a project such as Pathfinder.

"And this will bring in some money, Buff" said Willow when she told them about the offer, and that she had accepted it, "I'll finally be able to help you.. I mean you won't be the only one getting the big buckaroo's…. does anyone even say buckaroo's anymore?"

"Easy, Will" said Buffy as she stood up from the couch and approached the redhead, "are you sure about this?"

"This is the big time, Buff" said Willow, "I mean, I'm working with two of the best astrophysicists…. I mean working for them and… and it's a dream come through for any nerd and.. well, I'm a nerd… you know…"

"Queen of the nerds" said Xander with a small smile as he looked at his best friend.

"Darn tootin'" said Willow nodding her head at Xander before looking at Buffy, "it's gonna help us, Buff."

"I don't want you to do this because of just me" said Buffy.

"It's kinda for me" said Willow before she waved her hands as her voice started to squeak, "I mean the money stuff is for us and… well, working for Dr. Carter and Dr. MacKay is just so cool… yeah. I mean, I know that it's the military and I remember what the Initiative did. But these guys said that with Tara being protected, that puts us all in that same place too… we're protected too so.."

"You need help?" said Xander as Buffy looked at him, "then just call them up and say that Tara needs something; she's under military protection so there'll be a unit sent here in under ten minutes."

Buffy nodded at Xander before turning towards Willow.

"This what you really wanna do, Will?" she asked the redhead.

"Oh yeah" said Willow excitedly.

"Then you've got my support, Will" said Buffy as she saw Willow run up the stairs to her room, where… just before closing the door she said that she e back down in an hour; that she wanted to see what they've done so far, and what she'd have to do to catch up.

"Nerd" grinned Buffy as she looked up the stairs before looking at Xander who gave her a small smile, "come on, Xand. We're watching some TV."

"I'll get some ice-cream" said Dawn, who had just jumped off the couch and was heading to the kitchen to grab the ice cream while Buffy and Xander headed to the couch and sat down. The blonde Slayer then turned on the TV and started to channel surf.

"Let's see what movies are on" mumbled Buffy as she pointed the remote control at the television.

"Buff, stop… go back" said Xander as he grabbed Buffy's hand, the same hand holding the remote control while he stared at the screen. He then took the control from the surprised Slayer and went back two channels to the new which was showing a pile of smoking rubble from the air, which was sliced with images from the smoking ruin of the Hyperion, and Connor's loft where he was staying with Cordelia following her descension from the realm of the Powers that Be. Xander and Buffy stood up slowly with eyes open in shock, just as Dawn ran in with the tub of ice cream.

The young brunette noticed her sister and Xander staring at the television screen in shock.

"Buffy?" asked Dawn before she turned around and saw the destruction in the three sites, with a news ticker at the bottom saying that no one was sure if these three acts were related to terrorism.

"From reports it seems that the apartment complex was the first targeted" said a reporter's voice as the view switched to the first image, "witnesses claimed that a massive explosion occurred on the ground, third and the fifth floors; taking down not only the building itself, but the apartment complex next to it as well. We're still waiting on the number of casualties."

"Will!" shouted Buffy as the view changed to the rubble that used to be Wolfram and Hart. She saw another reporter interviewing one of the people who had just escaped the collapse of the building just as a concerned Willow ran down the stairs, and then looked on in shock at the images on the television as the view switched to the destroyed Hyperion Hotel.

"Buffy" said Willow as she looked at her best friend who had tears in her eyes, "he's alright… I mean.. he's gotta be alright."

"Who?" asked Dawn as she looked at the others confused.

"Angel" said Xander as he looked at the screen, and then at Buffy, "Buffy, deadboy's gonna be ok and…"

"I.. I'll be right back" said Buffy as she ran to the phone. Picking it up, she dialled a number and turned around to face the others who were looking back at her, "pick up… pick up… Angel.. I…"

Buffy's face fell when the connected call went to voicemail. She tried it a few more times before putting the phone back down and walked over to the television; just looking at the screen where all three incidents were being shown at the same time.

Willow saw the blonde Slayer tearing up before she put her arms around Buffy and hugged her.

"He'll call, Buff" whispered Willow while Xander and Dawn looked at the scene of the Wolfram and Hart explosions just before it collapsed, "he'll call."

Buffy could only nod her head on the redhead's shoulders while tears came out of her eyes.

**31** **st** **Annual Physics institute Symposium, 1715 hours.**

Wesley, former Watcher and member of Angel Investigations due to bring kicked out of the team for his betrayal of Angel, was seated in a darkened corner of the auditorium… waiting for Fred to make her presentation. He had read her published article in the Modern Physics review where it said that she'd be giving a presentation. Despite being considered persona non-grata for what he had done in kidnapping baby Connor due to a false prophecy, he wanted to be there for Fred.

It was fifteen minutes before the start of the symposium that he had received an alert on his phone; as did many others in the auditorium. Taking out the device from his pocket, he flipped it open and found an emergency text message that stated about there being a possible terrorist attack in the city. He then looked up when he heard the murmurs from the other attending the symposium.

He looked around and saw that people were turning to each other and showing them their phones when he suddenly felt a chill go up his spine. Getting off his seat, he walked up to the exit and made a call to Angel Investigations. However, the call went to voicemail; it was the same for the next few tries.

Wesley knew that no matter what, there would always be someone in the hotel to answer calls. He then got a feeling in the put of his stomach that told him something was very, very wrong. It was the same kind of feeling that he was supposed to have as a Watcher does for his Slayer…. something that he failed at while in Sunnydale, especially when Faith fell to the dark side.

"Damn it, Angel" mumbled Wesley as he called Wolfram and Hart where the call didn't even go through. He then ran to find a nearby television screen, or a radio to find out what was going on. At the same time, he made another call; this time to someone who he suspected wouldn't be too happy to hear from him.

"Fred" said Wesley as he ran back into the auditorium while others in the crowd started to make calls to their loved ones to find out if they were alright, while others were checking the internet on their phones. He had heard Fred connect the call, and his heart beat faster when he heard her voice, "Fred, it's Wesley. Please don't hang up I… oh dear God."

"Wes?" asked Fred who was backstage with her Professor, the same one who had invited her to speak at the Symposium, "Wes?"

Wesley noticed what was on the screen of one of the attendee's phones. He grabbed it out of the woman's hands, much to her anger as she stood up, and read the first bits of news on the incident. The former Watcher then apologized and handed the phone back to the angry brown haired woman before getting on his phone again.

"Fred" said Wesley as he ran towards the stage, "I need you out here… listen, there's been an explosion and..and the Hyperion's been destroyed. I… I need to go and check out the site.. and…."

"I'm coming with you" said a shocked Fred. The young woman knew what Wesley had done with Connor in kidnapping him when he was a baby, but the tone in his voice told her that what he just said was no joke. Fred asked him where he was at that moment, and was about to leave when her Professor grabbed on to her arm and demanded to know where she was going.. that she had a presentation to make.

"Sorry, Professor" said Fred as she pulled her arm away as she stepped back, "I.. I hope you'd invite me to speak again but.. but my friends may have died and.. and I need to be there… I'm sorry."

"Fred… Fred!" shouted Professor Seidel as he watched Fred run onto the stage and then get helped down to the floor of the auditorium by another man, before the both of them ran as fast as they could out the exits. The Professor just glared at them before turning around while cursing at the man who called Fred away; forcing him to delay his plans for Fred.

**Site of former Hyperion Hotel, thrity minutes later.**

It was one thing to read about what happened on the quick glance that Wesley had on the female patron's phone, but it was something else entirely to see it for himself as he and Fred walked with their legs trembling at the sight of the collapsed Hyperion Hotel. He and Fred, who had her hands covering her mouth in shock with tears in her eyes, stood behind barriers put up by the polices and fire departments as they tried to put out the smaller fires.

"Officer" said Wesley as he tried to remain calm while a lump formed in his throat at the thought of someone who he had considered a friend and an ally who could very well be dead, "what? What happened?"

"Sorry sir, I…"

"My friends were in the building" said Wesley before he motioned to Fred, "as were hers. So please, we'd like to know if there are any survivors or…"

"I'm sorry" said the officer shaking his head, "witnesses claimed that there were massive explosions from the lobby. We doubt if anyone survived.. all I can tell you is that the fire department's on a recovery mission now. I'm sorry."

"Angel, Gunn… they're gone" whispered Fred as Wesley nodded at the officer before gently putting his hands around the young woman's shoulders before gently turning her around and walking away past the throngs of people who were trying to get a good view of the destruction. The man then looked up at the new helicopter that was flying around the scene of the destruction before looking at Fred again.

"They still need to search the debris, Fred" said Wesley gently as Fred wiped her eyes before stopping and looking back at the destruction, "and Angel…"

"Nothing…. Nothing could.. could have survived" said Fred, "they were supposed to come see me and… and they should have left earlier and… why didn't they leave earlier? OR I could have…."

"There's nothing anyone could have done" said Wesley gently when the phone in his pocket started to ring. The man quickly picked up the phone and noticed that the caller I.D said that it was coming from an unknown number. Curious about who it may be, the man flipped open the phone and started to talk.

"Wesley?" said a familiar voice as the former Watcher gave a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Giles" said Wesley as Fred looked at the man, "this.. this is a surprise. I'm afraid you…"

"I'm in LAX" said Giles as Wesley listened surprised, "I… I just got in for a connecting flight to London when I heard about the explosions on TV. I tried calling Angel but…"

"I'm at the site" said Wesley as he and Fred reached his car when he gently pushed Fred down onto the boot of the car before looking at the smoke that was still coming from the Hyperion's destruction, "one of the officers said that there were explosions and… we don't know if Angel's alive. I called him and got to his voicemail. I've tried to call our associate, Charles Gunn… but no luck either."

"I take it you've heard about Wolfram and Hart as well?" asked Giles as Wesley's eyes got wider in shock before telling the older man that he hadn't heard anything. Wesley listened in shock as Giles told him what he had heard from the news about what happened to the evil law firm, and then Giles told Wesley about the two apartment complexes that were destroyed as well.

"Oh dear God" said Wesley as he leaned on the car's boot, right next to Fred who looked up at him through red eyes, "yes… of course… I'll call her right now and… and we'll wait to hear news from him and Cordelia."

"Wait" said Giles in surprise, "I thought Cordelia was dead?"

"It's a long story" said Wesley, "which we should speak off at a later date. I'll have to find her and.. another associate of ours that we need to speak of as well."

"Wesley" said Giles, "I don't know what going on, but taking out Angel and part of his team; taking out Wolfram and Hart, or at least the physical embodiment of Wolfram and Hart in this dimension, is no mean feat. Whoever did this…"

"Is trying to leave a message" said Wesley nodding his head, "Mr. Giles, I don't have any contact with anyone at the Council I've been disavowed by them so…. If you could…"

"I'll find out what I can from my Council contacts" said Giles, "and Wesley… whoever's doing this took out Buffy's allies in the form of your team, especially Angel. I don't know how Wolfram and Hart plays into this, but getting rid of Angel is something that is telling."

"Whoever did this could be gunning for Buffy" said Wesley while Fred continued to look at him, "could Faith be in danger as well? Even in a prison…. I mean…"

"It's possible" said Giles, "I'll have the Council look in on her, but given their obvious distaste of Faith…"

"I'll search for Cordelia and our other associate" said Wesley, "if we haven't heard from them by tomorrow, then we'll make the journey to Sunnydale. As for Faith?"

"I'll ask for someone to look in on her; I'll twist some arms if I have to" said Giles, "in the meantime, find Cordelia."

"I will" said Wesley after which he disconnected the call and then called Buffy's number. He talked to the blonde Slayer, telling her that he was right out the ruins of the former Hyperion Hotel… and that from what he had heard with there being massive explosions that were powerful enough to bring the entire building down; that he had to be straight with her and say that it was very doubtful that Angel could have survived the initial heat and fire caused by the explosion, "but I just talked to Mr. Giles, Buffy; and I told him that I'll be here just be on the safe side until tomorrow. If…. If Angel, Gunn and the others haven't been found alive, then I'll head to Sunnydale with Fred."

"Alright" said Buffy as she held back her sob while covering her eyes with her hand as Willow hugged her best friend.

"I know where my other associate's are staying and… and once I've collected them, we'll head to Sunnydale tomorrow" said Wesley, "whoever did this attack probably has an eye on you given that you've been allied to Angel the longest. We'll find out who did this, Buffy. You can count on it… and… and… just hold out hope."

**The Hamptons, 1900 hours.**

With what was going on with Patrick, Tara and the two Sheppard men weren't concentrating much on anything else other than their father. The older man was talking while sitting on his hospital bed with the cardiologist who talk him that he would be the first one it tomorrow, that they were going to inject him with a dye that would highlight any blockages and then they'd go on from there.

"What are we looking at, doc?" asked Dave who stood next to Major Sheppard with his hands in his pockets while Tara stood at the foot of the bed.

"I'll need to get the angiogram done first before making a decision" said the Cardiologist, "it could be anything as relatively simple as a stent, or something as invasive as bypass surgery."

The Cardiologist then turned to Patrick and told him that the man would need to change his lifestyle either way.

"I'll see you tomorrow" said the cardiologist as he turned to look at Tara. The young woman had approached him earlier that day after they left his office and asked him if he could take her blood for a DNA test, "I can take blood from you right now, if you want."

"Not today, doc"

"Yes, please."

Both Tara and Patrick had spoken together, which led to the both of them looking at each other and smiling. The older Sheppard told her that they could get the small things out of the away another time, however it was Tara who told Patrick that this was something she'd like to not think about… instead she'd like to spend some time with him and her brothers right now instead of worrying if maybe there was something wrong with the first DNA test the Air Force conducted.

"It was positive" said Major Sheppard, "we did it twice, Tara."

"I know, John" said Tara as she looked at the Major before looking at Dave, and the walking towards him and nudging him with her arm, "but it would be nice to have another confirmation; I mean… it's a paternity test so…."

"Well?" asked the cardiologist.

"Yes" said Tara as she turned and nodded her head.

"I'll have a nurse come back and take a sample of your blood" said the Cardiologist.

"It all goes under my bill" said Patrick; the cardiologist nodding at the older man who raised his hand to interrupt Tara when she was about to say something. The older Sheppard smiled at his daughter before nodding at the cardiologist who then left the room; leaving Tara and the Sheppard family on their own.

Patrick then patted the space next to him as he asked Tara to take a seat. Major Sheppard gently pushed the suddenly nervous young girl towards Patrick, while he and Dave took a seat on the two couches in the room; the large LCD television turned off. Tara sat down next to Patrick who asked her gently about what happened with Laura since he lost contact with her.

"I mean" said Patrick, "I never lost contact with her, I.. I just.. well, we agreed that it would be better not to contact each other after she left in case her husband found out about the affair."

"I still can't believe you had an affair, dad" said Dave.

"Your mother and I weren't in a good place then, Dave… John. It was a bad place with all the fights, and screaming and…" said Patrick as he looked at them, and then at Tara, "and neither was Laura in a good place. We were just two lonely people married to people we didn't really love, but we did care about each other. I loved her."

Tara looked at Patrick and smiled before looking down at the bed.

"So mom never found out?" asked Dave as Tara looked up at him.

"Even after the divorce?" asked Major Sheppard while he saw Tara reach out for, and then hold on to Patrick's hand.

"No" said the older man, "only Laura and I knew."

"But the shouting stopped after…." Said Dave as Patrick interrupted him.

"After the affair" said Patrick nodding his head at Dave, and then at Major Sheppard, "we agreed that what we did was something wrong. It was done in a moment of passion, in the heat of the moment… whatever you call it… that's what we agreed. Together, we decided to repair our marriages and… that's what I did with your mother."

He then looked at Tara and told her that while what they did was cheat on each other's spouses, he really did love Laura.

"After the affair" said Patrick, "Laura felt horrible about what happened.. the both of us did. She suggested that I fix my marriage, and that she should fix hers.. but what happened between us? Tara, I loved her… if I knew that you existed, I would have…"

"She… she knew" said Tara nodding her head, "I.. I guess she never told dad… I mean her husband because.. well, like she said in her letter, he would've… maybe disowned me or…"

"She told me that the man she married was too… how do I put this nicely…."

"Fundamentalist?" asked Tara as Patrick smiled and nodded his head.

"After she left, I placed money in an account for her every month" said Patrick, "I mean it was the account she used for her salary so… I mean she told me that her husband didn't know about it, and she wanted to keep it that way."

"She… she told me" said Tara, "but… but I never realized it was yours and…"

"It's yours now" said Patrick as he looked at Tara, "did… did Laura go peacefully?"

The Major remembered the vision he had about Tara at Laura's bedside in the hospital. HE remembered what Laura had told her, he remembered the older woman then looking directly at him before she closed her eyes. He remembered what Donnie and Richard did to Tara as she was pushed out of the room crying for her mother. It was then he shook his head off those memories and listened to Tara as she told Patrick that it was too late for Laura, that she had tried everything but it all failed. Tara held on tight to Patrick's hand as she told him that Laura passed away peacefully.

'And she ascended' thought the Major to himself as he recalled watching the woman in white when he arrived in Sunnydale the day he saved Buffy's life, the day he got the letter, and then at the airport just before driving to the home in the Hamptons.

"Tara" asked Dave, "where are you staying now?"

"Sunnydale" said Tara, "I… I kinda left home to go to U.C. Sunnydale on a scholarship and.. and I've made some friends there. Really good people and.. and I'm staying with them."

"You left home?" asked Patrick, "you mean like Laura's husband and his son took you to California and.."

"I.. I think we should talk about this once you've… recovered and…"

"Tara?" asked Patrick.

"He and his son brought me to U.C Sunnydale" lied Tara as she glanced at the Major. The young woman didn't want to shock her father with the news that Richard, Donnie, and Beth were even more verbally and psychologically abusive after Laura's death; she didn't want to put too much of a strain on his heart, 'I… I can tell him the truth later and… and I'm sorry, Dad.'

Both Tara, Patrick and Dave talked for a little while longer until a nurse came by and took Tara's blood before she left the room. Tara could tell from looking at the nurse's aura that she was worried about something, but thought it best not to ask at that particular time. It was soon after the collection of Tara's blood that the Major had a strange feeling. The man then turned on the television in the room; he was sitting next to his brother while the man talked to Tara and Patrick. He changed to one channel after another when he suddenly stopped and stood up at a news report about the bombings in Los Angeles.

The others had then stopped talking when the news ticker below the reporter's body stated that the building that the camera was viewing now used to be known as the Hyperion Hotel, the headquarters for a Private Investigations firm known as Angel Investigations. The report said that they had no hope for find live bodies, and that they had already resorted to the use of cadaver dogs after heavy lifting gear had moved the debris out of the way.

The Major turned to look at Tara who gasped when Angel Investigations' named popped up on screen before asking the Major if she could use his cell phone.

"Yeah" said the Major as he handed Tara his phone.

"Is everything alright?" asked Patrick.

"My friend's ex… that's his business" said Tara as she looked at Patrick, Dave, and then at the Major, "I.. I should call and… please excuse me?"

"Yeah" said Patrick as Tara got up and turned around. She had started to walk, but then stopped and turned around before walking towards Patrick and then leaning forward to give him a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll be right back" smiled Tara as she rushed out of the room and closed the door behind her while she leaned against the wall next to the door. Tara then dialled Buffy's number and connected the call before placing the phone to her ear.

"Buffy?" asked Tara.

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she wiped her tears before she pressed a button on the base of the receiver, "I.. I have you on speaker if.. if that's alright?"

"Yeah" said Tara shaking her head, "I just saw the news… I mean… did you hear from Angel?"

"Buffy's been calling him, baby" said Willow who walked up to Buffy and hugged her, as did Dawn while Xander put a hand on the blonde Slayer's shoulder, "but nothing yet."

"We got a call from Wes" said Xander as he remembered Wesley's second call to the Summers home, "apparently Cordelia returned and… and well, she was staying with a friend of theirs and… and that building's been bombed too. It took out the building next to it too… they're thinking maybe sixty three people died.. at least."

"Oh goddess" whispered Tara as she leaned against the wall, "Buffy, I…"

"How're things with your dad?" asked Buffy as she wiped her tears, hoping to hear something good happening with one of her friends. She had seen Xander crushed after Wesley called again after the initial call to tell them that not only had Cordelia returned from the higher plains a day ago, but that she could have died in a bombing today. Buffy saw the look at Xander's face at the news of his ex's possible death, and her heart broke for the young man. She and Willow, and even Dawn were affected by what could be her death; Wesley told them that the authorities were going to bring in heavy machines to remove some of the debris so that they could start rescue operations.

Whatever the case may be, this was another hit that they didn't need.

"I… I'm in the hospital with him" said Tara softly.

"What?" asked Willow, "baby, what happened?"

"I.. I saw something black over his chest" whispered Tara into the phone, "and, and I told John about it and we brought him to the hospital. They.. they said he had a heart attack yesterday and he didn't know about it… and he could have another one at anytime and that could be fatal and…"

"He'll be alright, Tara" said Buffy, "you'll see."

"We'll find out tomorrow" said Tara.

"How's your other brother?" asked Xander, hoping to change the topic of the bombings and the heart attack.

"He's a nice man" said Tara with a small smile as she talked about Dave, and Patrick. They had been talking for ten more minutes before Buffy told Tara that she should get back to her dad, that he needed her now.

"I'll call you later" said Tara, "and Buffy, Xander… I… I'm so sorry."

"Be safe, Tara" said Willow as Buffy and Xander nodded their heads silently, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie" said Tara.

"Me too" said Dawn with a grin before Tara replied. Tara then disconnected the call and thought about everything that was going on before she turned around and looked at the door to the room.

'I have my dad, and two brothers in there' thought Tara to herself, 'right now my dad needs me here and… and when I get back to Sunnydale, I'll help Buffy get through this. Goddess of Light, please watch over the souls of Cordelia and Angel if they passed into your domain.'

Tara then opened the door to see her new family watching the TV, before she sat down next to her father.

TBC.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**The Hamptons, the next day; 0930 hours.**

The last thing Patrick remembered before he was put under anaesthesia was holding onto the hand of his daughter while Dave, and Major Sheppard were in another room. Patrick told Tara that everything was going to be alright, and that they were going t o spend some time together before she left for Sunnydale again.

"Of... of course" said Tara as she squeezed the man's hand before leaning over him and kissing his forehead. The young woman then smiled at him again before she was led out by one of the nursing staff.

The cardiologist had told Patrick to count out loud to ten just before he placed a mask on his face. Starting to count, the man then almost immediately felt his eye lids getting heavy before he turned his head to the glass partition that separated the operating room from the smaller adjacent room where there were nurses sitting around two computers. He saw Tara looking back at him, and then he looked at Major Sheppard, and then at Dave before he finally went to sleep.

Patrick felt as if he was floating in air when there was a flash of white light.

Blocking his eyes with his hands, the man soon found himself back in his office; the same office that he had in San Francisco where Laura had been working for him. Getting off his brown leather seat in surprise, the man looking behind him at the large window with the city sprawled out in the distance. HE then looked at the top of his table and saw pictures of his two sons while they were still young, including a picture of the four of them together. Patrick then walked around the table when he heard the muted sounds of voices outside his office door. Rushing to the brown, oak door, the man opened it to find some of him previous employees waving at him before they went on their way.

Surprised at what he was seeing, Patrick then smelled the familiar scent of vanilla that wafted into his nostrils.

He looked to his right and saw a young blonde woman in a pastel long skirt and a cream coloured blouse typing on a typewriter. Patrick gasped as he took a few steps forward while listening to her fingers pressing down on the keys while she was typing up a document.

"Laura?" asked Patrick as he rested his hand on the woman's shoulder.

He saw the woman stop what she was doing, and then turn her head before looking up at him and smiling. It was the same smile that he loved, the same smile that Tara had given him before he was out like a light on the operating table.

"It's you?" asked Patrick as he took a step back while Laura got up from her seat smiling at the man.

"Hi Pat" said Laura as she put her hands behind her back, leaned forward a little and smirked, "I told you to watch what you eat; I've always told you and…"

"It's you" said Patrick as he laughed like a young boy while he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Laura, one arm around her lower back, and the other arm around the woman's shoulders before he kissed her in the lips. Laura herself returned the kiss while moving one hand onto his back, and the other hand on the side of his face.

"I'm just your imagination, Pat" said Laura as they touched each other's foreheads while looking into each other's eyes, "or maybe I'm just your guardian angel who sent John to our daughter, who in turn brought her to you. All leading up to this day. Which one do you wanna believe?"

"My angel" said Patrick as Laura blushed before he kissed the tip of her nose, and then pulled back before Laura wrapped her arm in his.

"Well, this is your mind" said Laura, "where do you wanna go?"

"I have so many questions, Laura" said Patrick as the two of them looked at each other. He then stood back and look up and down her body while the woman did a twirl for the older man, "first being, why are you so young and I'm so old?"

"It's been a long time, Pat" said Laura as she wrapped her arm around the crook of his arm again, "and what can I say? I'm an angel. Seriously though, you're seeing me just as you remember, or would you rather see me as…"

"I want to see you as you were before you… you passed" said Patrick.

Lauran nodded her head as her face became slightly older, and her hair longer with a touch of grey at the temples.

"Still as beautiful as ever" said Patrick as he stroked the woman's hair, and then caressed her face while Laura leaned her cheek into the warm palm of his hand, "Tara really takes after you."

"I'm sorry" said Laura softly as she looked up at Patrick, "keeping her a secret from you was the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. If I told Will about who Tara really was…"

"I know" said Patrick nodding his head, "were you happy? Was Tara happy?"

"I…" said Laura as she recalled the verbal and psychological abuse from her husband, even after she followed his wishes and stayed home with Donnie. She recalled Will calling her the spawn of a demon even when she was pregnant with Tara, and when he found that his wife was having a girl.. the man flipped out; telling a young Donnie that his mother and sister were going to be powered by demons, that Laura was passing her demon essence to his new baby sister and that only the men could control them. Laura didn't want to tell Patrick what really happened since he was undergoing a treatment that was going to be putting in stents into his arteries, so she lied, "I was happy; and Tara… Tara was happy. How about you?"

"Elise and I stopped fighting and screaming" said Patrick, "we made an effort, but… later we still divorced. There were too many differences between us, I mean we stayed together for John and Dave, and then when John joined the Air Force and Dave had graduated from Harvard, she left us."

"I'm sorry" said Patrick.

"I'm glad that you were happy" said Patrick, a hint of sadness in his eyes.. sadness that hurt Laura as she looked into them when she wondered what could have been, "I'm glad Will… I mean the day I met him he was… I mean…"

"This isn't about him" said Laura shaking her head, "I'm here for you, Pat."

"Can I tell you something honestly?" asked Patrick while Laura nodded her head, "I wanted you to stay in the company, I wanted to… I wanted to divorce Elise then and there, and then… then you and I could have gone to Paris and eloped and…"

"Most people I know go to Vegas to get eloped" said Laura as Patrick chuckled.

"I'm not most people" said Patrick, "you've been there for me a long time, Laura. And.."

"Close your eyes" said Laura as she brushed her fingers over Patrick's eyes. Once the man's eyes were closed, Laura asked him to imagine the one place he wanted to go; the one place he wanted to be right at that moment. Patrick nodded his head before Laura asked him to open his eyes. The both of them then looked at the wide blue ocean in front of them as small waves lapped on the beach. The both of them looked at the sun high in the sky before Patrick turned to the left at the sounds of children's laughter.

Laura and Patrick watched a little blonde haired girl in a pastel coloured one piece bathing suit running after two young boys.

"Tara!" shouted one of them as he and the other boy spilt up and ran in separate directions and then turned and stuck their tongues out at the girl. Patrick smiled at the little girl looking at both the boys before laughing out loud as she ran after the one on the left.

"Dave!" shouted the boy while he was running from a giggling Tara.

"You're on your own, John" Dave shouted when suddenly the girl stopped, and then went after Dave who then started to run while John stopped and laughed at the spectacle before them.

"This is what I imagined after Tara told me who she was" said Patrick who looked at Laura who was already running towards the three children wearing a red coloured one piece swimsuit and shorts. Patrick looked at himself and his long sleeved shirt and slacks before he looked up at Laura, who had John in her arms while Tara was now chasing Dave. Patrick couldn't help but smile at the sight of Laura laughing at something John had told her while the breeze from the ocean brushed through the woman's hair. Looking down at himself again, Patrick imagined himself wearing something a bit more comfortable as his formal dress changed into a T-shirt and shorts.

"Pat!" shouted Laura who waved at him, "come on."

"Come on, daddy" said Tara as she was jumping up and down while giggling before she picked up a pail and then ran to the water's edge, and put some water into it. She then ran with Dave who helped her carry the pail before splashing the contents of the pail onto Patrick.

"Oh, now you're asking for it" said Patrick whose shirt was now wet before he ran after Tara who gave a little scream, and then a giggle while Laura laughed at Patrick running after their little girl and Dave.

It was what seemed like hours later that Patrick was lying down on the sand with Laura by his side. The woman had rested her head on the man's shoulder after they had given the children some food to eat. After making sure that the three of them were eating, the two adults stayed close together with Patrick not wanting to let the blonde woman go.

"I know it seems like a long time" said Laura as she got onto her elbows and looked down at Patrick, "but it's been an hour and… and they're ready to bring you out of it and…"

"I want to stay with you" said Patrick as he caressed Laura's cheek. The woman then sat up and helped Patrick up until they were facing each other.

"Staying here means you have to die in the real world and… and I'm not letting that happen" said Laura while Patrick closed his eyes and hung his head. The woman then shimmied forward in the sand on her knees and put her arms around the back of Patrick's neck before leaning in and then giving the man a deep kiss. She then pulled back and told Patrick that Tara needed her father, and the he needed Tara, "I know you have regret about how you left it between John and yourself; you need to tell him, Pat. Tell him and… and you'll see that he's been making you very proud. You'll see one day. Dave is a very handsome man, and… and I know how proud you are of him."

"I'm proud of John" said Patrick, "but the way we left things…"

"You need to go back and tell him how you really feel" said Laura as tears welled up in her eyes, Patrick then noticed a tingling sensation on his arm. Looking to his left, the man could see that his arm was starting to vanish. He then looked at Laura who told him that he was about to wake up.. that he'll be alright, "watch what you eat from now on, young man."

Patrick couldn't help but laugh before Laura kissed him one last time before he vanished.

Laura opened her eyes and found herself alone on the beach, even the three children who were a part of Patrick's imagination gone into the breeze that surrounded her. Slowly standing up, Laura went back to her white dress before she turned and look at the vast ocean in front of her. Wiping the tears from her eyes and she continued to stare into the distance, the woman did everything she could keep the lump that was rising in her throat down; she didn't want to sob as she placed her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes as tears came down her cheeks.

"Laura" said a familiar voice as the blonde sniffled, and then wiped her eyes before looking over her shoulder at the red-haired woman who was walking her way. Nodding at the newcomer who stopped and stood next to her, the two women looked out at the ocean. It was a few seconds later that the newcomer had broken the silence between them, "I am glad that you were able to see your love again."

"I see him all the time, Melina" said Laura as she looked at the red-haired woman standing next to her in the white dress with gold accents, "this is the first time in years that… that I've managed to hold him again and…"

"I understand your pain; as you know" said Melina as she looked at the horizon before looking at Laura again, "Moros is still in stasis, and Athena… well..."

"I know" said Laura nodding her head at Melina; both knew the feeling of just having to watch over their daughters, and not interfere directly in their lives, "if John had been only a few seconds late, she may have perished."

"Athena loves Tara" said Melina as she looked at Laura, and then at the horizon again, "I have seen the possible future where Tara would have died, and Athena would have succumbed to the darkness in her rage and grief. She could have ended the world."

"Willow's an extremely powerful witch" said Laura, "now she can be trained to control those powers properly; and with the offer from the military…"

"The two of them make a sweet couple do they not?" asked Melina while Laura smiled and nodded her head as she too looked out into the distance.

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 1030 hours.**

Unable to sleep, Buffy had been sitting on the couch in the living room since four in teh morning. She had the television tuned to the news in the event that she could hear one tinu bit of good news after the events in Los Angeles. She even thought about calling the number that she was given by Dr. Weir, but then decided against it when she wondered what she was going to say in the first place.

'Hi, I think my vampire ex-boyfriend could have been killed, along with his friends. Do you think this has something to do with me?'

Buffy closed her eyes and wiped the tears as she recalled deciding not to call, that if anything; she'd find out from watching the news if any survivors had been pulled out. However, so far there was nothing.

She didn't expect them to find anyone; at least not Angel.

She just hoped against hope that she was wrong.

Buffy had always been able to feel Angel; they had shared a connection between them that the blonde Slayer never had with anyone else. It would be a feeling that would permeate her self and she could sense when he was nearby. She could feel when he was close by; and there was a low fluctuating pain in her chest when he went to Los Angeles that time.

Now that was a night she remembered clearly.

They had just destroyed the high school with the Mayor in it; they had failed to stop Mayor Wilkins from ascending, but they made up for it by killing him in his ascended snake form by leading him to the library which was laden with explosives. Once he had slithered it, Giles detonated the explosives after Buffy jumped clear. In the aftermath, Buffy and Angel looked at each other from a distance before the latter turned around and walked away.

As did Buffy.

However, she felt a pain in her chest the next morning, and every day since that fateful night. She had done everything to stop the pain but nothing medical or mystical worked; not even meditation. All Buffy could do was ignored that light fluctuation of pain in her chest. She ignored it so much that she didn't realize it was gone temporarily when Angel had secretly helped the Scoobies during Thanksgiving; but she still had a feeling that something was different. When Xander later told her that Angel had been in town, she knew that the whole day preparing for Thanksgiving had put her 'Angel radar' out of whack.

But now, she didn't have that pain in her chest anymore. She tried to search for it, even tried to wish it back to the forefront again but it was gone. Buffy sat alone on the couch and knew in her heart that they'd never find Angel; he was simply dust right now.

It was a few hours later that Dawn had woken up, and the blonde Slayer quickly got up off the couch and prepared some breakfast for her sister. Dawn could see that Buffy was exhausted before hugging her; telling her sister that everything was going to be alright. Buffy could only nod her head before preparing food for the young brunette.

Once Dawn had gone to school, the Slayer sat back on the couch in front of the TV. It was around ten that Willow had woken up and come down to the living room in her rocket pyjama's and saw Buffy staring at the screen. The redhead told Buffy that they needed to get out of the house, that they needed to clear their minds and get centered again.

"I know it's boring and all, but come to my classes with me" said Willow as she sat next to her and looked at the heavy machinery on the television screen moving aside huge chunks of debris. She then looked at Buffy who had no reaction on her face. The redhead put her arm around her best friend's shoulder and asked if Wesley had called with any news.

"Not yet" said Buffy softly.

"Xander's in his apartment" said Willow, "he decided not to stay so I was hoping that all of us would go to his place and keep him company for a while, you know?"

"That's good" said Buffy who continued to look at the news report, "yea, you go and change Will. I'll go with you."

"I'm so sorry, Buffy" said Willow.

"I can't feel him anymore" said Buffy as she looked down at the carpet, "I.. I know he's gone but… but I'm hoping that maybe… I don't know. I can't feel him… I can't..I've been trying to but I can't."

"We'll get whoever did this, Buffy" said Willow.

"Will we?" asked Buffy as she looked at Willow, exhaustion on the Slayer's face as she looked at her best friend, "Angel Investigations, two apartment buildings, and Wolfram and Hart; Angel's connected to me… but the others? Will, I've got no connection to them and… Wesley said that this could be connected to me and… I don't see how."

"We'll figure it out" said Willow as she gave a small smile, "I'm gonna go take a shower and then we'll go?"

"I need to…." Said Buffy who was interrupted from finishing her sentence by the ringing from the phone in the living room. The Slayer quickly got up while Willow looked on at her best friend pick up the phone and then talk softly into the receiver. The redhead got off the couch while Buffy nodded her head before she spoke softly into the phone.

"Yea" she said, "see… see you guys tonight."

"Buffy?" asked Willow as the blonde turned around in shock, "what happened?"

"Wesley" said Buffy, "he.. he called. He, someone called Fred, and a good demon called Lorne did a searching spell after they heard nothing from the rescuers or.. I mean… from the people searching through the rubble. Angel's gone… and… and Will? So's Cordelia."

"Wait" said a shocked Willow, "she died.. I mean.. she already died."

"Wesley said he'll explain when he gets here with Fred and Lorne" said Buffy, "he said that Giles already talked to him about coming here and… yeah. He thinks it's something to do with me, and he'll be coming here to get some research done while Giles is in London talking to the Council."

"Oh, ok" said Willow.

"I don't know what to do" said Buffy as Willow hugged the blonde Slayer.

"We'll find out what's going on" said Willow, "when Tara comes back, we'll be at full strength and we'll find out what's going on."

Buffy nodded her head on Willow's shoulder as the two stood in the living room, hugging each other.

TBC.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**The Hamptons, 1534 hours.**

Tara was seated on the couch in Patrick's room next to Major Sheppard while Dave had just come in through the door. The Major nodded at his brother before looking at the older man who was lying on the bed with an oxygen mask on his face, and leads from a machine measuring his heartbeat attached to his chest, as well as a blood pressure cuff that was wrapped around his other arm.

Sighing, the now middle child then sat on a small couch and told the Major that he just got off the phone with Kathy.

"Kathy?" asked Tara confused as she looked at an equally confused Major Sheppard who looked back at her and shrugged his shoulders. The both of them then looked at Dave who shook his head before saying that Kathy was his fiancée who was staying in New York City.

"Fiancée?" asked the Major surprised, "how come I've never heard about this and…."

"Well" said Dave as he looked at the Major, "you weren't exactly here. You were on some mission where you went missing? Remember? I couldn't reach you?"

"Oh yea" said the Major as he shook his head.

"Then this happened with dad" said the Major as he nodded at the unconscious Patrick, before looking at Tara, "and then I find out that I may have a sister.. so yeah, my mind's been busy trying to process all of this."

The Major could see that Dave was getting stressed out; and what was happening with Patrick didn't help matters. It was then that the door opened again and Patrick's cardiologist walked in with an envelope in his hand. He nodded at everyone before checking on Patrick's vitals, and then he looked at his three grown children before telling them that Patrick should be waking up soon. He then gave them details of what he did, ending with telling them that Patrick had to make some drastic changes to his lifestyle. With the three of them nodding their heads, the doctor then approached Tara and gave her the envelope. He told her that her answers to whether she really was Patrick's daughter or not was in that envelope before he nodded at them again, and walked out of the room. He then told them that he'll be back later that day.

"Tara?" asked Major Sheppard as he stood up and approached the blonde witch whose hands were shaking as she held on to the envelope. Dave then stood up and put his hand on the young woman's shoulder and told her that no matter what, he was sorry about what he said the first time he met her; that while he didn't know how she did it, he was grateful that she managed to get Patrick to the hospital before anything tragic happened.

Tara, with hands shaking, then opened the top of the envelope before taking out the documents inside. She opened it and scanned through the results of the tests that were carried out before she looked up at Major Sheppard, and gave a wide grin. She then looked at Dave and gave the surprised man a tight hug while she handed the test results to the Major. Tara then hugged Dave tightly while he looked at the smile on Major Sheppard's face as he walked a few steps forward and showed the results of the tests to Dave.

"I'm sorry" said Dave as he tightened his hold on his sister who lay her head on his shoulder as she teared up a little. In the meantime, the younger brother was stroking Tara's back, still in disbelief that he really had a sister… but he was happy at the same time.

He has a sister.

"You wanted to be sure" said Tara as she continued to hug Dave, "a stranger comes and says that she's a sister you didn't know about… you just wanted to be sure."

Major Sheppard just looked on as his brother and sister hugged when he noticed movement from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head to see that Patrick was fluttering his eyes open and mumbling under the oxygen mask. The Major then told Tara and Dave that Patrick was getting out of the anaesthesia haze, so they broke the hug before walking over to Patrick's side.

"Hey dad" said the Major as he leaned forward with his hands in his pockets, "how's it going?"

"John" said Patrick struggling to speak as he looked at the Major, "Da… Dave? Ta… ra?"

"Here, dad" said Dave as Patrick turned his head and looked at Dave, and then at a bright glow standing next to his son. Patrick blinked his eyes slowly a few times before he smiled at Tara who was looking back at him.

"Ta.. ra" said Patrick before he closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, the effects of the anaesthetic still not having left his system.

"Hi, dad" said Tara as she stroked the man's forehead before getting the DNA test results from the Major, who was holding on to it. Dave then told Patrick that Tara's blood tests showed a paternal relation with Patrick's, before Tara told Patrick that she was really her daughter.

"Nev… never doubted" said Patrick softly as she looked at Tara, "Lau… Laura…"

"Dad?" said Dave.

"Look after yourself, Pat" said Laura who Patrick saw was standing behind Tara. He saw that she was dressed all in white and looking as she did the last time he saw her when she was alive as she stood next to her daughter before leaning forward and kissing Patrick on the forehead, "I've always been watching over you and Tara. Look after yourself, listen to what the doctor tells you to do… you've always argued… so no arguing this time. Clear?"

"Yes" said Patrick softly while Dave and Tara looked at each other confused. Tara then looked at the Major who looked at Patrick, but he seemed to be unconcerned about what their father was saying. In fact, Tara saw that the Major was developing a small smile across his lips.

"I have to go now, Pat" said Laura, "goodbye."

"Goodbye, Laura" said Patrick softly as he watched Laura take a few steps back before she started to glow, "my angel."

"Dad?" asked Tara as she noticed that Patrick was looking to her left. Turning her head, Tara saw that there was nothing there - not only was there nothing there; the blonde witch didn't feel anything was out of place. Tara then looked at Patrick again as his eyes shifted to look at her once again.

"She said… will… watch you" said Patrick before he closed his eyes.

"Dad?" asked Dave worriedly, but the Major told him that he was just sleeping; that his body was still tired.

"He said 'goodbye, Laura'" said Dave.

"Sometimes when you're out of it" said the Major, "you see things that aren't there."

Just then, Dave's phone started to ring again. So he excused himself again before going out of the room to take the call. While he was out, Tara walked over to Major Sheppard and asked him if he himself believed what Patrick just said.

"There are things out there that no one understands, Tara" said the Major with a smile, "you know that better than anyone."

It was right after he said that that Tara knew he wasn't lying. She saw the Major head back to the couch to take a seat while wondering what it was that he experienced while he was missing. However, she pushed those questions to the back of her head as she looked at the older man who was lying on the bed, 'let's get you recovered first, Dad.'

It was four hours later, while Tara was talking to Dave and Major Sheppard, that there was a knock on the door before it was slightly opened and a female head poked through.

"Dave" said the young brown haired woman as Dave got up and headed towards the door while Tara and the Major stood up as well. They saw Dave kiss the young woman on the cheeks before he grabbed her hand and led her inside after closing the door gently behind them. Tara looked at the woman who was holding on to her brother's hand and almost immediately noticed that everything on her was expensive, as if she had just arrived after shopping at some of New York City's most high priced stores. It was while they were walking towards her and Major Sheppard that Tara looked at what she was wearing, and suddenly felt inadequate; the woman walking towards them was dressed in clothes, and carrying a handbag, made by some of the most famous brands on Earth… she felt more like a peasant that was being approached by royalty.

"Kathy Dunham" said Dave as he motioned towards the Major, "this is my brother, John."

"Hey" said the Major as he reached out his hand when, instead of shaking it, Kathy hugged the man instead, "o..k."

"Hi, John" said the woman as she hugged the Major before she pulled back and looked at him, "or should I say brother-in-law. Dave said that you've been deployed somewhere and…"

"Classified" said the Major nodding his head, "and you're his fiancée, which was a real surprise for me but… well, you picked a good man."

"And Kathy" said Dave as he stood next to her and pointed to Tara, "that's my half-sister, Tara."

"Hi" said Kathy as she approached Tara and looked at her suspiciously before looking at Dave again, "Dave, you never told me you had a sister."

"He.. he didn't know he had one" said Tara as Kathy looked at her, "to tell you the truth, neither did I know I have two brothers."

"Until a few days ago" said the Major as he placed his arms on Tara's shoulders, "now she's part of the family."

"Oh" said Kathy as she perked up and walked towards Tara before shaking her hand, "welcome to the family, I mean… I'm kinda in the same boat as you… I just met Dave nearly a year ago and we hit it off almost immediately."

"Oh?" asked Tara as she raised an eyebrow at Dave who looked at Kathy and smiled. However, there was something that Tara felt was a bit off about Kathy. The moment she perked up once she heard that Tara was part of the family, the brunette's aura flashed in anger; Tara could feel how furious she was despite the young woman smiling and welcoming her into the family. Tara didn't think much of it, she put it away as Kathy simply being jealous that another woman entered the life of her fiancée, 'but he's my brother, and… and I have a right to get to know him.'

"How is he?" asked Kathy as she approached Patrick's bedside after she shook Tara's hand.

"He's going to be fine" said Dave.

The four of them would continue talking for a few minutes longer, with Kathy wanting to know more about where Tara was staying before Patrick slowly opened his eyes again and called out for his children. Tara, Major Sheppard walked over to one side of the bed as the old man looked at them, and then he looked over at Dave and Kathy.

"Hey Patrick" said Kathy as she held the man's hand.

Tara saw that action and she suddenly felt jealous; she even swore to herself that Kathy glanced at her and smiled before she leaned down and caressed the man's forehead.

"Kathy" said the man weakly while Tara quickly went over to the side table and poured some water into a cup, and then put a straw inside. She then carried the cup back while Patrick looked at Major Sheppard, and then at Tara before smiling at his daughter.

"Water?" asked the blonde witch as Patrick nodded his head before the Major moved the mask to one side, and the older Sheppard drank some water before the mask was replaced. Tara didn't look at Kathy as she got up and placed the cup on the side table before refilling it again, but she could feel the newcomer's anger towards her.

Tara just shook it off before she stood next to the Major again.

"I… I need to talk to John" said Patrick as he looked at the Major, and then at the others, and back to Major Sheppard again, "please.. I need to talk to him alone."

Nodding her head, Tara then turned to the Major and asked if she could use his phone… that she needed to contact Willow and the others.

"Willow?" asked Kathy.

"Oh, a friend of mine" said Tara.

"Here?"

"Sunnydale, California" Tara replied.

"Oh" said Kathy as she walked with Dave, and Tara out the door after the Major had given the blonde witch his phone, "so you're living there?"

"Yes" replied Tara as she nodded her head once they were outside in the hallway.

Kathy smiled at Tara after the door closed behind them. She then turned to Dave and asked him to go ahead, that she and Tara will be close behind him.. that she'd like to know more about her new sister-in-law.

"Get us some coffee?" asked Kathy.

"Tara?" asked Dave after he nodded her head at Kathy.

"Tea?"

"Alright" said Dave as he leaned forward and kissed Kathy on her cheeks. He then told the two of them that he'll meet them in the cafeteria before he turned and walked away, leaving Tara and Kathy alone in the hallway.

"So" said Kathy as she placed a hand gently onto Tara's shoulder, anger from her just coming off in waves… anger that the blonde with could put a chill up her spine. Tara gulped as she looked at Kathy while her arm travelled from Tara's shoulder to her upper arm as she wrapped her fingers around the blonde's arm and squeezed tight.

"Hey" said Tara as Kathy squeezed tighter and jerked the young woman forward; Tara was shocked by what was happening that she didn't even think to call out for Major Sheppard who was still inside the room. Instead, she looked at Kathy who started to speak to Tara in a menacing voice.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are" hissed Kathy, "but stay away from this family."

"I… I…"

"I.. I.." said Kathy mocking Tara before she looked up and down at the blonde, "look at you.. you don't belong here. This isn't your place. John? Yeah.. he's a Sheppard, what the hell are you?"

"I'm Patrick Sheppard's daughter" said Tara as she looked at the woman in front of her, still in disbelief about what was happening, "you're the one…"

"I'm the one who belongs in this family" said Kathy as she jerked Tara again by pulling on her arm, "not you. You think you can somehow come in and take their money and…"

"John, Dave, and dad are my family" whispered Tara, "I'm not after their money… I'm their sister and.."

"Half-sister" said Kathy, "you're not really part of this family, you were just an accident who got lucky.. so I'll say this once. You stay in your hick part of California with your hick friends and don't you dare ever come see Patrick or Dave again. If I see you, or if you ask them for money or…"

"I really think you shouldn't talk anymore" said an angry Tara as she jerked her arm away from Kathy's grip, "if you ever threaten me again, I will destroy you. If you come between me and my family, I will destroy you… don't test me. I don't know you, but from what I've seen so far? I see an insecure little brat… I've lived my entire life in fear of people like you… but no more. You want to know the truth? I am a Sheppard, the DNA test proves it. I don't care if you think I'm just a half-sister, I'm still their sister… I'm still Patrick Sheppard's daughter. And no, I'm not after his money.. he's my father, that's why I'm here. And if… and I mean if I ever hear you talk about me, my friends, or my city like that again… I'll make sure that Dave finds out about this little conversation between us."

Kathy opened her mouth to speak; Tara could feel the woman's fury but the blonde raised her hand, indicating to the woman that she shouldn't talk anymore.

"I can see how much Dave loves you" said Tara as she glared at Kathy who locked her jaw at the blonde, "so I won't tell him about this. You stay away from me, and I stay away from you. You try preventing me from seeing my family, there'll be hell to pay. It that understood."

"You…."

"Is. That. Understood?" asked Tara as she took a step forward with her hands rolled into fists.

Kathy felt goosebumbs going up the back of her neck as she just glared at Tara before she turned around and walked away. Tara watched the young woman walk away, and when she turned around a corner… Tara released the breath she was holding in before she started to pant and lean back against the wall. The witch felt her legs and hands shaking as she brought her head back and rested it against the wall.

'Yeah' thought Tara as she breathed hard while also thinking that she could have handled that a little bit better, 'staying with Buffy, Willow, Dawn… and hanging out with Xander is really rubbing out on me.'

Tara then sighed and called Buffy's home.

Back in the room, Major Sheppard was holding on to the railings on the bed while listening to his father as he talked about how much he regretted the way that they had left things years ago. The Major looked on in surprise as his father admitted that he was wrong, and should have supported the Major.

"I have many regrets, John" said Patrick as he looked at the Major, who sighed before he pulled a chair and sat next to his father.

"Doesn't matter, Dad" said the Major as Patrick looked at him.

"It matters, John" said Patrick, "I've always wanted to say this for a long time but… but I suppose my pride was.. I mean… look, I'm sorry about everything."

"I guess I said some stupid things too" said the Major as he shrugged his shoulder while Patrick gave a chuckled before he coughed a little, causing the Major to get up and get the older man some water. Once Patrick had drank something, the Major then sat back down on his seat, "I'm… I guess, I'm sorry too."

"You were gone a long time" said Patrick, "you said you were missing?"

"Yeah" said the Major, "they found us again and.. well, here we are."

"You going back?" asked Patrick.

"Transport's coming for me and my team in a little less than three weeks" said Major Sheppard, "then I'm going for another mission.. and no I don't know where, but this time? This time I think we'll be in contact with The Air Force."

"Good" said Patrick, "you have a sister now."

"I know" said the Major nodding his head, "she's well taken care off, trust me on that."

"I do" said Patrick, "can you call for Tara?"

"Yeah" said the Major, "I think she's at the cafeteria, I'll be right back?"

"Yeah" said Patrick as the Major got off the seat and opened the door, only to find that Tara was leaning against the wall while talking to Willow. He then signalled to the young woman that Patrick wanted to talk to her. With the blonde telling Willow that she had to leave, Tara handed the phone back to the Major and followed him into the room. She then walked towards the bed as Patrick smiled at her.

"Dad" said Tara as she reached for his hand, and squeezed gently.

"Tara" said Patrick, "I.. I don't know how you fall on this. But, but I hope that you'd consider it."

"Ok" said Tara nodding her head confused.

"Would you consider changing your last name to mine?" asked Patrick as a wide smile appeared on Tara's face before she looked up at the smile on Major Sheppard's face, and then back to Patrick again, "at least would you consider it and…"

"Yes" said Tara as she smiled at Patrick, "I mean.. yes, I'd be honoured if you let me have your name."

Patrick just smiled at his daughter and nodded his head.

"I.. I just have one request" said Tara as she looked at Patrick, and then at the Major, and back to Patrick again, "I… I'd like to make my own way and… I mean… I thought that what mom gave me was her own money and.."

"That was hers" said Patrick with a smile, "and she signed it over to you."

"Yes, but…"

"All that's yours" said Patrick as he smiled at Tara, "you're just like John, wanting to make your own way. I'm proud of the both of you, as I am with Dave."

"Oh, Dave" said Tara as she looked at the closed door behind her, before looking at Patrick again, "he doesn't know and…"

"He'll know" said Major Sheppard.

"Tara Sheppard" said Patrick, "has a nice ring to it."

Tara just smiled at Patrick before she leaned over and kissed the man's forehead.

Tara would spend seven days in the Hamptons with her family, with Kathy occasionally giving the young woman angry glances, but Tara didn't care about her. What she cared about was that she had two brothers who weren't abusive towards her, although she was about to have a sister-in-law who she was going to be in a long term cold war with, and a father who loves her. Leaving the Hamptons after the seven days was over was hard for the blonde witch, she held on to Patrick tightly before she reluctantly let go of the man who was released from the hospital only three days ago. Since then, the both of them would walk around the back garden hand in hand, or Dave would take her to the horses in the stables. He looked in surprise as the most stubborn horse there took to her almost instantly, the same horse that wouldn't even let Kathy touch him was acting docile with Tara as she stroked his head.

As Tara got into the cab, she asked Patrick if she could come back and visit him again; and smiled when he nodded his head, as did Dave while Kathy folded her arms over her chest and just frowned at the young woman.

"Of course, Tara" said Patrick, "could I…"

"Yes" replied Tara, "I.. I'd like to introduce my friends to you."

Tara then smiled as Patrick nodded his head before she and the Major left for the airport. The young woman brimming with happiness that she finally met her father; that she had a family.

TBC.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Immediately after leaving the Sheppard Hamptons Home.**

It was during the drive to the airport, while Major Sheppard was driving the car, after the weeklong visit with her family did Tara's thought get back to Kathy. She was biting the edge of her nails as she finally, after that encounter with the young woman at the hospital, begun thinking about what she told her.

Tara could tell that Kathy was afraid, but she didn't know of what.

'Is it because there's someone else in dad's and Dave's lives?' thought Tara to herself as the Major drove out of the gate and down the road, 'I haven't even talked to her since that day, I mean I didn't want to I guess. I could just see her resenting me for… what? Existing? But the weird thing is that she really does love Dave; I've seen them together and I could just sense everything.. so I'm guessing that it's just jealousy.'

"So how'd you like the week?" asked the Major as he looked at Tara, who had been looking out the window before shaking her head and looking back at the Major who noticed the look of concern on his sister's face, "hey, everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah" said Tara nodding her head, "I mean I got to meet my real father, my brother… and… his fiancée."

The Major raised an eyebrow while he was looking out the windshield of the car at the way Tara said the word 'fiancée'. He then made a turn onto another road before looking at Tara for an instant, and then looking at the road again.

"Everything didn't go well between you and Kathy?" asked the Major as Tara leaned back on her seat and put her hands on her thighs while looking at the Major, "yeah, things didn't go too well."

"Ummm…" said Tara as the Major looked at her again before looking at the road once again, "she loves him so that's what really matters."

"Tara" said the Major as he looked at the blonde and raised an eyebrow.

"No, really" said Tara, "she really cares about him and, I mean maybe she was a bit jealous that I'm in the picture and… I mean it's nothing bad, you know… I mean, we won't be the best of friends anytime soon but she loves and cares for him. And.. I mean you were there when she told us about herself.. that she's loaded and blah… blah.. blah.."

"Blah.. blah.. blah..?" asked the Major as he looked at Tara.

"I mean she was talking about how great her father is and everything and… I mean I guess she was wondering that I was wondering if she was after Dave's money and…." said Tara as she looked at the confused look on the Major's face, "I mean she's probably just jealous that another member of the family just popped up out of nowhere and maybe… and I mean maybe that's something that's got her a jealous you know? I mean I don't know… so don't you go and tell her something young man."

"Yes, ma'am" said Major Sheppard while Tara looked at him and grinned before telling him that maybe Kathy could be worried that Tara's sudden appearance meant that maybe she thought Tara was after their fortune.

Tara didn't wasn't to tell Major Sheppard about the confrontation she and Kathy had at the hospital; the both of them didn't bring it up later on… Kathy because she didn't want to be thought of as a bully, and Tara because she didn't want to be the cause of problems between two people obviously in love.

"But that's just my thinking" said Tara as she looked at Major Sheppard, "I don't blame her for being suspicious… I mean if she really was suspicious; I mean I'd be suspicious of me too. Plus it kinda makes sense that she be suspicious of me.. you know. I mean Dave told us that she was an only child so I guess having someone else enter the picture made her feel a bit… you know… competitive."

"You still sound funny when you talk about her" said the Major as he looked at Tara, "you sure there's nothing else."

Tara remembered Willow's famous resolve face, which she emulated before nodding her head and telling the Major that there was no problem. The Major nodded his head before he continued the drive while Tara looked out of the window again, and then looked at her brother and smiled.

It was a few hours later that the both of them arrived in Sunnydale once again. The Major drove them from the airport, to Buffy's house where he stopped at the curb before telling Tara that his week of leave was over… and that he needed to get back to Colorado Springs where he'd be getting new orders.

"I know" said Tara as she nudged the Major's arm, "you told me."

"I know" said the Major nodding his head, "but still… this isn't like the other time we got lost. I'll still be here and you can contact me.. and I can contact you. Although me contacting you would be a bit harder and…"

"I know" said Tara smiling at the Major and nodding her head, "you gave me the number to call if I need to reach you if your cell phone's out of range. You gave me everything I need to know on the plane."

"Right" said the Major shaking his head as he opened the door before Tara laughed at the man walking around the car and opening the passenger-side door.

"Why thank you, kind sir" said Tara as she got out of the car before the Major closed the door. She then gave the man a tight hug just as the door to the Summers home opened up, and smiled when she heard a shout of joy as footsteps ran down the pathway to the curb.

"Tara, you're back" said Dawn as the blonde witch stepped back from the hug with the Major just in time for the brunette to give Tara a hug. At the same time, Dawn looked at the Major.. grinned and then waved her hand. It was then that the Major noticed Willow and Buffy walking down the walkway towards the curb as Dawn pulled away from Tara before giving the Major a hug.

"Dawnie" said Buffy as she watched Dawn give off a sigh of relief as she lay her head on his chest, "stop attacking the man."

"Sorry" said Dawn as she stepped back and grinned at the Major, "we're ordering some Pizza, feel up to eating something?"

"I gotta go back to Colorado" said the Major as he rubbed the back of his head, "sorry? Maybe next time I come by, besides… I did say I'll try and get you on a jet."

"Oh yeah" said Dawn excitedly.

"Did you meet your dad and brother?" asked Willow as she walked up to Tara who smiled at her and nodded her head before she took her bags out of the trunk, "tell me all about it?"

"Definitely" said Tara as she held Willow's hand before the redhead turned to the Major, "can't you just have a quick bite, John?"

"There's a plane leaving the Army base in thirty" said the Major as Tara let go of Willow's hand and hugged the Major again, "I'm sorry I have to leave so quickly."

"I understand" said Tara nodding her head on the man's shoulder while he stroked her hair, "be safe? I'll call you."

"I will" said the Major as Tara stepped back before holding on to Willow's hand. It was then that Dawn pulled Tara back towards the house while telling the blonde that she wanted to know everything. All the while, Willow too was waving at the Major as she got pulled into the house while Tara screamed goodbye at John again while the Major chuckled and waved his hand. He then looked at Buffy who was looking back at the house, and then back at the Major again, "I heard what happened in L.A. Any news?"

"Three of Angel… my ex's… friends arrived here the day after the whole thing happened" said Buffy, "they're at the Magic Box trying to find out what happened, and who could be behind this. Giles thinks that maybe this has something to do with me… so he's gone to the Council for some help. Xander's slowly improving… I mean he still talks in his sleep and… he sleeps in the guest room here. Says he doesn't want to go back to his apartment yet but he's at least started work again; you know keeping himself busy."

"How're you holding up?" asked the Major as he noticed movement behind Buffy. He looked over the blonde Slayer's shoulder and saw Dawn pulling Tara past the open front door to the living room while Willow was following them before looking at Buffy again.

"As good as can be" said Buffy, "whatever's going on… I guess we'll be able to find out something."

"If you need to talk" said the Major as he scratched his head, "I mean I've lost people over the past year, even some friends before all that mess with us going missing…. So if you need to talk, Tara's got my number."

Buffy just nodded at the man before he got into his car, which was when Tara shouted at him from the house again. The Major chuckled as the blonde ran down the pathway and hugged him again while Willow and Dawn looked on from the front door. It was a few seconds later that, with Buffy and Tara standing side by side, that he got into his car and drove to the Army base.

**The Summers Residence, four weeks later.**

Tara had spent talking to Patrick and Dave nearly every day since they had met each other for the first time. They told Tara that Patrick had a meeting in San Francisco a month later, and that they'll come visit her if they were welcome. Tara was the one who chuckled before telling them that she'll be glad to see them… as would her friends. She told them how her friend's sister was excited to meet Patrick.. that she'd been wanting to know everything about him ever since Tara got back from the Hamptons. While Tara was finally happy that she had a real family, she was also helping train Willow her magic. Giles, who was still in England for reasons that he wasn't telling Buffy or the others yet, gave Tara his blessings to teach Willow magic.. he told the blonde witch that he trusted her experience.

Giles then told Buffy that Wesley would be her temporary watcher until he got back. He told the blonde Slayer that he had already talked to the Council about Faith, and despite Buffy's concerns that the so called Dark Slayer was still a danger to people around her… Giles said that the Council would help to get her an early release since there was a report that she was attacked in prison by a young woman wielding a strange knife. Giles assured Buffy that Faith defended herself without killing the young woman, and that the Council had been keeping an eye on her all this time. The blonde was surprised to hear that Faith was actually doing well in Prison… and was by all accounts a model prisoner.

"But the attack on her is a concern, Buffy" said Giles, "I… I want her to stay with you, Willow, and Dawn… and before you say anything.. I know it's a big ask from you. But the attempt on her life, combined with the murder of the majority of Angel Investigations, Cordelia, and Conner? We believe that someone, or something, is coming after you and Faith. Whoever it is took out your allies, and now… it tried to kill Faith. You could be next., be careful."

"I will" said Buffy, "but Faith… I mean Giles… it's Faith."

"I know" said Giles as he sighed on the phone, "what happened to her is much mine and Wesley's faults for not being the type of Watchers that we were trained to be, as much as it is Faith's own fault. The Council did no-one any favours in trying to take her away by force either… but Faith's still a Slayer, and the attack on her is concerning to everyone. I'm just asking that you, Willow and Dawn tolerate her. I'll have Wesley talk to Xander, Fred, and Lorne… she tortured Wesley when she was in L.A… but he still thinks she can be redeemed so I've asked him to talk to Xander. I need you to talk to Willow and Dawn."

"Fine" said Buffy with a sigh before she would put the phone back down. It would be a few minutes later that she did the same thing she'd do a few days a week whenever she was troubled, she called Major Sheppard.

In the meantime, Xander had moved back to his apartment on his own… after making a decision that he couldn't hide from what happened, and that he needed to confront whatever nightmares or thoughts of Anya he'd have when he moved back into his own place. To keep himself occupied, the man put himself more into his job, and even took up the training at the Army base that had been offered to him; but he'd still go home every night and come face to face with a vision of Anya welcoming him back. And Xander would smile at her before her image vanished; and he'd look around the apartment before whispering 'I love you', hopeful that where-ever she was, Anya could hear him.

And nearly every night while Xander was asleep on his side, there would be a light that would take form in his darkened room. The light would take the form of Anya who would smile at the sleeping Xander before walking around the bed. She would be in the dress that looked similar to the one Xander had given her for her last birthday as she crouched down and kissed the young man on his cheek before telling him that she loved him too.

While the Scoobies were doing their own things on the surface of the planet, from Willow going to class and working on the classified project with Colonel Carter, Dr. Lee, and MacKay – to Tara talking to her father and two brothers whenever she could, to Buffy talking to Major Sheppard at times before going out the back of her house and just talking to Angel, wherever he was, before she went for her nightly patrol; The Daedalus was orbiting the planet while using her Asgard sensors to run a scan on the surface of the planet on something that Colonel Carter was working on ever since they found out that the Hellmouth released energy that's similar to that released by a quantum mirror. The ship was scheduled to leave for the Pegasus Galaxy in another week, so in the meantime it was running scans after the Prometheus, with Colonel Carter on-board, left the orbit of Earth again to test its latest Hyperdrive.

The Colonel had created a program to detect energy signatures that are given off by ZPM's, and before leaving, She told Colonel Caldwell, the commander of the Daedalus, that scanning the planet for even the most minute trace of energy would take at least twenty-four hours thanks to the program that she installed on the Daedalus computers as well.

Now they had twelve hours left for the scan to be completed.

But it was while the Daedalus was in orbit that another hyperspace window opened up, and the Asgard vessel, _Daniel Jackson,_ dropped out of Hyperspace and stopped close to the Daedalus. It was then that Thor, the commander of the ship, told Colonel Caldwell that he had come to talk to General O'Neill on an urgent business.

It was minutes later that the grey alien, as well as General O'Neill, beamed down to the SGC's briefing room where the alien met General Landry for the first time, as well as Dr. Weir who was herself having a meeting with the General in regards to the additional personnel who were heading with them back to Atlantis. General Landry then asked them all to take a seat before they started this impromptu meeting.

"As you know" said Thor as he looked at everyone seated at the table, "we have destroyed the vast majority of the replicators in the Ida galaxy, and are destroying more pockets everyday. This victory has brought our attention back to the genetic problems that have been caused by our own cloning program."

"You finally found a fix?" asked General O'Neill as he leaned forward. He knew about the problems that the Asgard were having, and he also knew that Colonel Carter and every scientist who had clearance were doing what they could to help their greatest allies, but so far they had nothing to show. The General hoped that maybe the Asgard found something on their own; he hoped that Thor didn't come by to say that they are still failing in their quest.

"Perhaps" said Thor as he blinked while looking at everyone, "we have done everything possible to create a cure. We believed that the Ancient gene is the key factor in actually developing a cure… but it was not until we realized that the answer could be in combining the Ancient gene with that of another that we gained renewed hope. We have tried it with the genome of normal humans, with that of the Jaffa with the hope that perhaps the mixture of the Tretonin and the Jaffa genetic code could hold the key, we have also tried the particular gene that exists within the Nox.. but even that has been unsuccessful. The only race we have not tested are the Furlings.. and we believed that all of them left this Galaxy."

"Until we sent you that data burst about Major Sheppard's sister" said Dr. Weir as the grey alien nodded his head.

"We never thought that some Furlings may have remained on Earth" said Thor, "and given the rarity of the gene…."

"What are you asking, Thor?" asked General Landry.

"I would like permission to scan this individual" said Thor, "if her Furling gene and the Ancient gene can interact.. even if the interaction is minimal… it gives the Asgard some hope. General Landry, O'Neill, Dr. Weir, I am asking on behalf of the Asgard High Council for your help once again."

TBC.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**General Landry's office, 1600 hours.**

With Thor having just beamed back up to his ship, the _Daniel Jackson_ , both General's Landry and O'Neill and Dr. Weir were in the formers office discussing the grey alien's request; to run scans on Tara, so that they could test their theory that the Ancient gene could react with the Furling gene which would hopefully help the Asgard.

"So" said General O'Neill as he thought about what his friend just told them. He wanted to help the Asgard, they were Earth's greatest allies and the galaxy still needed them around; but he also knew that this meant a civilian would know about the existence of life on other planets. It was then that he had an idea, "how about we don't tell Tara about the Stargate, or about Atlantis… we just tell her that an ally needs her help. And if she… sorry, not if; when she asks about our technology maybe we'll have the Daedalus hide behind the moon and just tell her we recently met the Asgard while they were on a fact finding mission to Earth. And that we've been in contact with them for…"

"Jack" said General Landry, "we've already done a background check on her after confirmation that she's Major Sheppard's sister. Everything checks out, so how about we tell her the truth about why this is important. We leave out the existence of Atlantis, for now, since it doesn't need to be revealed to her yet. And it has nothing to do with the Asgard's problems."

"I agree with General Landry" said Dr. Weir as she nodded her head before looking at General O'Neill, "also if she says yes, we can't just beam her up to the Asgard ship. I suggest we make the first stop be the Daedalus, that way we can explain what's going on before taking her to the _Daniel Jackson_. We beam her straight to the _Daniel Jackson?_ We're liable to have a very scared girl on our hands who may just shut down at the sight of aliens."

"She's fought demons before" said General O'Neill, "alien's aren't that different."

"The Asgard are from a different galaxy, and look like the Roswell greys" said General Landry, "we're talking about the same beings that the kooks with tin foil hats talk about. So finding out that alien life is real? I think she'll be a bit hysterical."

"I'll talk to the President" sighed General O'Neill, "have the NDA's ready. If he approves then we'll have Sheppard make the approach. When's he due back from P7…. Whatever it is?"

"He's scheduled to return with SG-4 in two hours" said the General Landry as he looked at General O'Neill.

"I'll call the President" said General O'Neill as General Landry handed him the red phone on his desk.

**The Summers Residence, 2100 hours.**

Tara and Dawn were getting things ready for dinner while Willow was upstairs in the room she and Tara shared doing her work with Colonel Carter and the others. With Buffy back at work at the Double Meat Palace after begging for her job again, it was just the three of them for now… at least until Xander returned from his construction job, and Wesley and the others returned from running the Magic Box, and studying on the various kinds of evil that could target Buffy and Faith.

But so far, everything was quiet; demonic activity was at an all time low, as was vampire activity. Something that Wesley told Buffy was not good at all, that it meant that something big was coming. It was about nine when Willow walked down the stairs tired before she turned and walked into the dining room where the plates were already set. She gave a small smile before heading for the kitchen where she leaned against the door frame while looking at Tara taking something out from the oven, and Dawn putting a heap of mashed potatoes into a large serving bowl as the smell of other types of food wafted through the air.

"Hey" said the redhead as Dawn looked up and grinned, as did Tara, "smells good."

"Hungry?" asked Tara as she put one of the roasts down on the kitchen counter before walking around to Willow and then giving her a peck on the lips.

"Get a room" said Dawn as Willow and Tara looked at her with their eyebrows raised, "fine… you already have a room… wait… that didn't come out right."

Dawn then picked up her bowl of mashed potatoes before walking past Tara who put her arm around Dawn's shoulders before kissing the top of her head. Grinning, the young brunette then headed towards the kitchen while Tara and Willow talked. As Dawn put the mashed potatoes on the table, the doorbell rang.

Dawn then headed to the door while hearing Willow and Tara walking down the hallway.

Expecting to find Wesley, Fred and Lorne behind the door, Dawn grinned when instead she found Major Sheppard in his full dress blues, along with Dr. Weir who was in a dark blue suit and trousers with a red shirt visible underneath.

"Hi, John" said Dawn as she gave the Major a smile before giving him a tight hug, "this is a surprise."

"Hi, Dawn" said the Major as he patted her back before looking at Dr. Weir's raised eyebrows, "she's got a crush, I can't help it."

Dr. Weir shook her head and laughed as Willow and Tara came to the door as Dawn stepped back; the two newcomers surprised about the unexpected visit from the diplomat and the Major. The surprise didn't last long as Tara gave the Major a hug and a kiss on his cheek before she stepped back and waved at Dr. Weir.

"Hi, John" said Willow as she hugged the Major. She remembered being nervous weeks ago when she and Tara were talking to the Major over the phone; the two of them had talked about it and decided to tell him the truth… that they were in a relationship. However, they were the ones who were surprised and speechless when the Major said that he already knew that they were a couple.

"It was kinda obvious" said the Major over the phone three weeks ago before he went on his first mission with SG-4, "and you've got nothing to be nervous about.. well, you kinda do; Willow?"

"Uh huh?" said the redhead as she leaned towards the speakerphone.

"You love my sister?"

"Yes" said Willow as she looked at a smiling Tara, "she's my everything."

"That's good enough for me" said the Major over the phone, "but if you hurt her…."

"I won't" said Willow as Tara rested her head on the redhead's shoulder before she whispered to her love, "not again."

Back in the present, Willow broke the hug before shaking Dr. Weir's hand and stepping to one side to let the two of them in.

"We can't" said the Major as he looked at the three young women, "at least not right now."

"Something wrong?" asked Dawn as she looked at the Major in concern, "I mean you're ok and everything, right?"

"Actually, we need Tara's help with something" said the Major as he looked at the blonde witch, "it's really important and… and we can't tell you what it is because… well…"

"Classified?" asked Willow.

"Yeah" said the Major as he looked at Willow, and then again at Tara, "you'll be gone for two hours, max. We'll be at the army base and… yeah. I mean, you'll be in Sunnydale and we'll get you back home safely and…"

While the Major was talking, Tara could see that he was lying that they would be in Sunnydale.. but he was telling the truth about the Sunnydale Army base. She could tell that the request for help was genuine, as was him telling her that she was free to refuse them right now if she felt uncomfortable; and she was free to refuse even after she found out what they wanted to ask her.

"I know you've been reading me, Tara" said the Major as Tara nodded her head, "we really need your help, but like I said… you're free to refuse at any time."

"How about you guys eat?" asked Dawn, "I mean we've got people coming and a lot of food and in the meantime Tara can make her decision and…."

"This is actually time sensitive" said Dr. Weir, "and…"

"I'll go" said Tara nodding her head before she looked at Willow, "I'll be fine, besides… I'll be back in two hours."

"Are the three of you the only ones here?" asked Dr. Weir as Tara and the others nodded before Dawn told them that more people would be coming in about fifteen minutes.

"Don't worry about us though" said Willow, "no vampires coming into this house, and Buffy's gonna be back soon from her shift. Wesley and the others are on the way soon… so.. yeah… this place is going to get real crowded soon."

"We'll save you some food" said Dawn, "but we get the good stuff."

"Go" said Willow as she put her arms around Dawn's shoulder while looking at Tara, "I'll save you some of the good pieces, so go."

Dr. Weir, Major Sheppard and Tara waved at Willow and Dawn before the two of them closed the door. The three people walked towards the SUV that was parked at the curb, the driver inside turning the engine when he saw the three of them walking towards him. The Major held the passenger and the rear door open for Dr. Weir and Tara before getting into the vehicle himself. He sat next to Tara as the SUV drove off while at the same time, Dr. Weir opened the glove box and took out a blue folder that had a pen attached to it. She then turned and handed the folder silently to the Major, who then handed the folder to Tara.

"Tara" said the Major, "what we're about to show you is what I really do. We really do need your help… I mean some friends need your help. And well, before you meet them… there are some things that you need to know. And before we can tell you, or show you anything, I need for you to read through that paper inside the folder.. and then sign it. If you don't wanna sign, then we can get back home and forget about this whole conversation. If you sign, and then decide not to help after hearing what we have to say, then all we ask is you don't tell anyone what we talked about."

Tara frowned as she opened the folder and read through the piece of paper; a non-disclosure form. It was something she had heard of before.. the same thing that Willow, Buffy and the others had to sign following the incident with the Initiative.

"So everything you tell me" said Tara looking at the Major after she finished reading the NDA, "is covered under section 11-C-9 of the national security act? I mean…"

"Basically" said the Major gently, "it means that if you tell anyone what you see, hear, and do.. then you'll be charged with treason against the United States."

"Oh" said Tara with her eyes wide open, "Ummmm…."

"We mean it when we said you'll be helping a lot of people" said the Major as he reached for, and held Tara's hand, "I know what I just said sounds scary; but… Tara, I'm not going to force you to do this. My commanding officers and Dr. Weir agree that it's your choice. If you say no, then I mean it that we'll stop and turn around. But if you want to continue, then you cannot tell anyone what you see. Not even Willow."

"Buffy's got clearance from the Initiative" said Tara, "how about…"

"She has clearance" said Dr. Weir, "but not the need-to-know classification. We found her paperwork a few weeks ago in the Pentagon's basement, along with more Initiative files. Anyway, you can't tell her either…."

"Oh" said Tara, "but I'll be helping people?"

"You trust me on that part, don't you?" asked the Major as Tara looked at the man for a few seconds before nodding her head.

"Yes" said Tara.

It was twenty minutes later that the SUV reached the Sunnydale Army base, and then headed towards the hanger that Tara had been in weeks ago when she underwent her medical with Dr. Beckett. The driver, Tara, Major Sheppard, and Dr. Weir then exited the SUV after it was parked; the driver handing the keys over to an awaiting soldier who then drove the SUV away. Tara followed the three of them into the dimly lit hanger which was now completely empty; the blonde witch looked around confused and saw nothing there before she looked at the Major.

"You wanna see magic?" asked the Major with a grin as he held on to Tara's hand.

"You know magic?" asked the witch with her eye brow raised, and a smirk on her face.

"Yeah" said Major Sheppard as Tara saw Dr. Weir take a box out of her pocket that had two buttons on it, "abracadabra."

"Wait.. that's not…"

Tara was interrupted in what she wanted to say when she heard a buzzing sound. She looked up just as a bright white light washed over her, and then when the light faded, Tara looked around with her mouth wide open at a completely different room with grey walls and computer consoles in one corner of the room, two large screens on a wall, and then she turned around to see the Earth outside a large window.

"Tara?" said the Major as she looked back at him with her mouth still wide open in shock, "breathe."

"Ummm…. ummm…." said Tara as she opened and closed her mouth while looking back at the Earth, and then at the Major again, "ummm…"

"Lieutenant" said Dr. Weir as she looked at the driver, "thanks for accompanying us. I believe you're needed back at the SGC?"

"Yes, ma'am" said the young man before he nodded at the Major and Tara while Dr. Weir headed to a panel on the wall, and Tara heard Dr. Weir telling a man named Colonel Caldwell about beaming out Lieutenant Strong to something called the SGC. The blonde witch them watched as the lieutenant vanished in a flash of white light before she turned to the Major again with eyes wide open; eyes that said 'explain… explain... explain."

"Welcome to the Air Force vessel Daedalus, Tara" said the Major as he put his hand on Tara's back and guided her gently to the window, all the while Tara was looking at him in surprise, "we're in a ship… a spaceship that's been built using a mixture of Earth and alien technology."

"Ummm….." said Tara again while she tried to find her voice as Dr. Weir placed her hand gently on the young woman's shoulder.

She asked the young woman to take a seat on the bench on one side of the room; and when she sat down, Dr. Weir started to tell Tara about the discovery of the Stargate in the Giza plateau in 1928, the first mission to Abydos, the killing of Ra, the war with the parasitic Goa'uld who took the names of ancient gods, the allies they made by going through the Stargate and the technology that they gained. She then talked about the Ancients… the race that predated humans by over fifty million years, she told a shocked Tara about the plague that killed the Ancients, she told her that there had been some who ascended into another plane of existence while others left the galaxy in a ship to search for a new home.

"We've just won the war against the Goa'uld" said Dr. Weir as Tara looked at her, and then at the Major who nodded his head, "the Jaffa, the Goa'uld army of genetically modified human are free, and making their own destiny in the galaxy. I was in command of Stargate Command when one of the members of the front line team, SG-1, used a weapon system left by the Ancients to defend this planet defeat the Goa'uld called Anubis after he brought forty of his ships here. We're doing what you and Buffy have been doing for Earth against the supernatural."

"Against aliens" said Tara as she rubbed her face before she looked at the Major, "and… and you've been to…"

"Other worlds?" asked the Major nodding his head. General O'Neill told them hours ago that the President had given them permission to talk to Tara, but they were to leave out the existence of Atlantis for now since there really wasn't a reason to tell Tara about the city. He told General Landry, Dr. Weir, and Major Sheppard after the latter returned from his mission that since Tara would guess that there was alien technology involved, given that she would be meeting actual aliens, and transported to ships using alien technology… and given that they had to explain to her the reasons why the Asgard needed her help; the President authorized disclosure about everything regarding the Stargate, aliens, and the Ancients. Now, as Major Sheppard sat down next to his sister, he told her that he'd been to many different worlds, met new people, and fought enemies, "but I can't tell you where I'm assigned. That's classified, Tara."

"This.. this is why I can't reach you sometimes?" asked Tara while the Major nodded his head, "I… wow… wait you said you were lost and…. it was through the Stargate and…"

"Yeah" said the Major nodding his head.

Tara got up and put her hands on top of her head as she headed to the window, as did the Major who got off the bench and stood next to Tara with Dr. Weir.

"I know this is big" said Dr. Weir as Tara remained looking out the window still stunned, "but the main reason that we need your help is… well, one of our allies need your help."

"Huh?" asked Tara as she looked at the older woman, and then at her brother who she still couldn't believe travelled to other planets, "ah… I…."

"Remember that blood test we did over a month ago" asked Major Sheppard while Tara nodded her head.

"We found something.. an anomaly" said the Major, "so we sent the data to this ally of ours, and they actually got back to us… weeks ago. Before we went to meet dad and Dave."

"Oh" said Tara with her eyes wide open again, "what.. what… huh? I mean, what did you find? The anomaly, I mean."

"You know we told you that some Ancients left this galaxy for a new one?" asked Dr. Weir as Tara nodded her head, "well, we have evidence that they returned to this planet more than ten thousand years ago and… and we can't tell you why they returned, just that they did. And when they did, we believe that many of them mixed with the humans of that era and… well… they passed down a particular gene that's needed to activate and control their most powerful weaponry, or to activate some of their systems…. Systems we found on many worlds. Anyway, they weren't the only advanced race in the galaxy. They had an alliance with three others; the Nox, the Furlings, and the people who need your help… the Asgard."

"Asgard?" asked Tara shaking her head before looking at Dr. Weir, and then at the Major again, "you mean… wait.. Asgard as in like the Norse gods?"

"I'll let Thor explain and…"

"Thor?" asked Tara as she looked at the Major and Dr. Weir again, "wait.. the god of thunder's an alien and… we know.. I mean you know and… wait… huh? I mean… holy… you know Thor?"

"The Asgard helped us a lot" said Dr. Weir, "in fact, a lot of the technology on this ships been a gift from them. We've helped them fight one of their enemies and… yeah, they'll let you know. Anyway, back to the Alliance… the Nox are now in their own world. They don't really interact much with other people; they're the most pacifist race we've met.. but still one of the most advanced. The Furlings left this galaxy who knows when; but like the Ancients, they mixed with human beings and passed an unique gene through people. According to the Asgard, people with that gene are pretty rare."

"Tara" said the Major as the blonde witch looked at him, "I have the Ancient gene.. that's why when I was in Sunnydale, the energy from the Hellmouth supercharged the gene and gave me some abilities. Those abilities vanished after I left the city though."

"Ok" said Tara, "but…"

"That anomaly we detected in your blood, Tara?" asked Dr. Weir, "the Asgard told us that it's the Furling gene."

"Oh" said Tara, "but.. but I don't understand… I mean.. what does it do and… I mean.."

"My Ancient gene ordinarily doesn't do anything" said the Major, "I mean I can fly their ships and activate their technology in normal days… but that's it."

"But the Furling gene?" said Dr. Weir, "Thor told us that the gene gives certain people empathic abilities, and it makes it easier for someone to use magic."

"But anyone can use magic with training and…" said Tara.

"The gene makes it easier" said Dr. Weir, "so while others need to be trained, the ones who have the Furling gene can just use magic naturally. I mean they probably need more training than most, but… that's what Thor told us. Magic comes easily to you… to anyone with the gene. It makes it easier to mould and use magical energy."

"I've been able to use magic since I was ten" said Tara, "I remember my mother training me, telling me what I have to do to control it and… and…. and she was powerful too, and.. it can easily to her. Maybe she…"

"Maybe she had it too" said the Major as Tara nodded her head.

"The Asgard are a dying race, Tara" said Dr. Weir before she told the witch the problems that the grey aliens were having because of their cloning program. She continued saying that after trying tests with the genetic code of various races with the Ancient gene which they knew was key, they hoped that the interaction between the Furling and Ancient gene could create something, "they're looking for hope, Tara. We're just starting our own program.. this is the second battle cruiser and we still have enemies out there who threaten not only this world, but many other human worlds too. The galaxy needs the Asgard, and we'd like to see our friends continue to live. Will you help them?"

"Yes" said Tara, "yes."

TBC

 


	27. Chapter 27

**The Daedalus, Orbit of Earth, 2135 hours.**

"Yes" repeated Tara as she looked at Dr. Weir, "I… I'll help."

Tara was thing surprised by the revelations by Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard, it she had only heard about it on the planet below.. then she may not have believed it. But being actually beamed onto a spaceship in Earth orbit helped her come to terms with the fact that this was what her brother was involved in. But it didn't make anything easier for the blonde witch as she continued to look out the window at the planet below while the Major stood by her side, and Dr. Weir was speaking on a wall panel to Colonel Caldwell.

After a few more seconds, Tara just came to a sudden realization.

"Why aren't we floating?" asked Tara as she continued to look out the window.

"Artificial gravity" said the Major as Tara looked him, smiled and then shook her head before looking out at the planet below again.

"That's why you weren't scared when we told you about vampires and demons" said Tara while the Major nodded his head, "wow, artificial gravity… beaming like Star Trek… if Willow knew she… she'd be going nuts over this. I… maybe I'm not the right person you need and…"

"You're the right person to help the Asgard" said Major Sheppard as he put a hand on her shoulder, "there are so many other monsters out there, trust me… you do not want to meet them."

Tara looked at her brother, and she didn't need to see his aura to know that he was being deadly serious. From what she had been told by the Major and Dr. Weir, the Goa'uld are a nasty piece of work… they pretended to be gods so that they could enslave people; it's something she thought would only be in science fiction books and movies.

'I'm standing in a ship' thought to herself, 'does it… no… oh goddess.. does it?'

"Ummmm…" said Tara, "does this ship have… I mean.. you know… warp drive?"

"Hyperdrive" said Dr. Weir as she got off the call with Colonel Caldwell, "and shields."

"This ship has everything you've ever seen in science fiction movies" said Major Sheppard, "except for phasers. But, Tara… there are some things that we can't reveal to you. Places, things, races…. Some are just.. let's say it's better that you don't know. And I'll be heading to a classified place on this ship at the end of the week but we'll be in contact with Earth every… Elizabeth?"

"We've agreed with Home World and the IOA that we'll be sending reports and personal messages from my team every three days" said the diplomat as Tara nodded her head, "that's sending and receiving messages. And Colonel Caldwell's just informed me that General O'Neill's on Thor's ship, and he's briefed Thor on not to reveal… that place."

"Ah" said the Major nodding his head before he looked at Tara, "you ready?"

"Yea" she replied.

"This is the first time all three of us will be meeting the Asgard" said Dr. Weir, "so one important thing you should know…"

"They don't wear pants" said Major Sheppard, "Dr. Jackson already told us."

"Oh.. Dr. Jackson" said Tara, "even he.."

"Yep" said Dr. Weir, "he's the one who first discovered the real use of the Stargate, he's the one who helped the Air Force activate the gate in 1994, and he's one of the first to go off-world on that first mission to Abydos."

"He was right" said Tara, "about everything… I mean he's not a kook and… wow."

"Ready?" asked Dr. Weir as everyone nodded their heads.

**Asgard Vessel,** _**Daniel Jackson,** _ **2140 hours.**

It was a few seconds later that three bright flashes of light deposited Dr. Weir, Tara and Major Sheppard in a gunmetal-grey coloured room on the _Daniel Jackson_ with General O'Neill standing alongside Thor. The General enjoyed the looks of surprise on the blonde woman who had her mouth opened wide while looking at the grey alien, and the same thing went for Major Sheppard who just stared at Thor.

Chuckling inside, the General then walked toward Dr. Weir and nodded his head at the leader of the Atlantis expedition. The man had been beamed up to the Asgard vessel so that he could brief Thor on Tara, and her status as a civilian. He told Thor that they were telling her everything about the Stargate Program, except for Atlantis… and the Wraith.

Dr. Weir shook her head before she first introduced Tara to General O'Neill, the head of Home World Security, the same department that she was already under protection with. The blonde witch waved her hand at the General who chuckled at her nervousness before she looked at the grey alien standing next to him, the one who was looking up at them. Dr. Weir then introduced herself, and then Major Sheppard and, finally, Tara.

Thor then took a few steps forward and introduced himself.

"Greetings" said the grey alien, "I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. Welcome to the _Daniel Jackson."_

"Daniel Jackson?" asked Tara surprised.

"Indeed" said Thor, "SG-1 has helped the Asgard numerous times in defeating our greatest enemies. It is a sign of our thanks."

"Wow" said Tara as she looked at the General who shrugged his shoulder before Thor told her that they had already created several O'Neill class ships, and were on schedule to building the first Carter class vessels. The three new newcomers then looked at the General who quickly changed the topic, talking about Tara.

"Ummm…." said Tara as she looked at Thor, "are… I mean… we've had the Thor myth and… I mean…"

"The Asgard have been watching over your world for millions of years" said Thor, "we have watched the evolution of life on this world, and on various others after the Goa'uld transplanted humans to those worlds. We have appeared to them as gods and guided them when possible, but we've left them to build their own society for the most part. Interfering only when it is absolutely required. Earth humans have seen me with a holographic skin, and I.. as well as several of my kind have nudge early humans.. but that is all we have done."

"Still… wow" said Tara.

"Ummm… so Thor" asked the Major, "what's gonna happen now?"

"Please come with me" said Thor as he led the group away to the middle of the room. The Major watched Thor as Tara walked with the Grey alien, behind whom was Dr. Weir; then the Major felt a sudden nudge from the General, which made him shake his head before he looked at his superior officer.

"Don't stare, Sheppard" said the General.

"Sorry, sir" said the Major shaking his head, "first time seeing an Asgard."

"Everyone's reaction's a bit different" said the General as he and the Major walked behind the group, "listen, you've been doing a great job with leading SG-4, and you've done an exemplary job in leading the military contingent on Atlantis."

"Thank you, sir" whispered the Major.

"I need you to look at some files of new members of the military to take with your people to Atlantis" whispered the General while Tara, Thor, and Dr. Weir went through another door that contained a large lab that had something like a large upside down test tube that contained what looked to be a gel-like substance. The General and the Major just glanced at the gel before the Major looked back at the Major in surprise.

"Sir" said the Major, "that's supposed to be Colonel Caldwell's job, right? I mean I heard rumours that he was chosen and…"

"Don't believe everything you hear, Sheppard" said the General as he turned to face the Major, "it's all going to be made official in D.C during the expedition's farewell party at the White House, but it's now your responsibility to look after these people."

"Wait" said the Major, "sir, you mean…"

"Congratulations, Lt. Colonel" said the General as he nodded at the Major, who nodded back.

"I bet a lot of people weren't happy" said the Major as they continued to walk towards the test-tube like contraption.

"Elizabeth pushed for you" said the General, "I think you're the best person too since you know the city, the people there trust you; and you've done a great job, especially when things got hairy."

"I really don't know what else to say.. except for thanks" said the current Major.

"Keep them alive" said the General as Major Sheppard nodded his head, and before they knew it.. they reached the test tube. The General then stood next to Dr. Weir, while the Major stood next to Tara as they looked up at the gel; and it was the General who spoke first, "ew.. ew.. that looks disgusting. Whatever that thing is."

"It is an organic gel that is meant to simulate the bodily processes of a human body" said Thor as he looked at the General, and then at the others while the other Asgard in the room were working behind consoles, and various screens on the walls were showing different types of genetic sequences, "the gel had already been infused with the Ancient gene, it is the same technique we used for the Jaffa, the Nox, and normal humans. We believe that the interaction between the genes have to take place within the same body… in this case the human body in represented by the gel."

"What do I have to do?" asked Tara as she looked at the gel; she leaned closer to find organic materials moving inside before she stepped back again and looked at Thor. The alien nodded his head before leading Tara, with the Major by her side, to one of four glass tubes that Thor referred to as medical pods.

The Alien told Tara that she just had to step inside, and then the computers would scan her genetic sequence before infusing the Furling gene into the gel. Tara nodded her head as the cover to the vertical tube opened and Major Sheppard helped her step into the tube with her facing the glass cover as it closed up over her. Tara continued to look at the Major while Thor told her that she'd feel no pain, just a buzzing sensation through her body. Tara smiled as there was a bright glow from inside the tube that covered her whole body before she felt a tingling sensation. And just as it came, that feeling was gone as the glass door opened for the Major to help Tara step down from the tube.

It was almost immediately that the four people from the planet below watched as the Asgard hurried from one console after another, with Thor is the midst of them while they were speaking in their own language. The Major and Tara walked over to the General and Dr, Weir while they watched as the screens flickered between one image to another before, a few minutes later, Thor walked over to them with a tablet in his hand.

"We have copied the Furling genetic code from Tara's body, and infused it into the gel" said Thor as he switched on the tablet in his hand, and showed it to the four of them, "we have detected the formation of specific protein markers, a reaction we have not seen in our previous tests."

"That's good, right?" asked General O'Neill.

"Our initial tests" said Thor as he looked at the other Asgard who were working behind some other consoles, some who whom looked back up and nodded at Thor. He then turned back to look at the four humans and spoke again, "are showing positive results in the ability of the protein marker to cure our genetic disease; so yes, O'Neill… this is, as you would put it, a good thing."

"Neat" said the General with a grin.

"We will need to run more tests" said Thor, "and if these results hold, we may even be able to go back to a point where we will not require cloning, but still maintain our intellect. But that would be a long time coming. IN the meantime, this is a cure… this is hope for the Asgard race."

Thor then looked at Tara and nodded his head before thanking her.

"The Asgard will be working together with the Nox" said Thor, "in the meantime, due to the initial results from the protein marker.. I will talk to the High Council, and ask for certain approvals."

"For weapons?" asked the General with a hopeful look on his face.

"O'Neill" said the grey alien.

"I know, I know.. no weapons" said the General as he looked at the others while shrugging his shoulders, "had to try."

"Let me talk to the Council in regards to power generation" said Thor while referring to Atlantis, "if they approve, your ship would have enough capacity to reach your major outpost within seven days instead of eighteen. And that would be without a ZPM."

The General and Major Sheppard whistled, they knew that with new power generation capabilities… they could make the trip to Atlantis must faster, especially since they only had one ZPM at the moment. General O'Neill guessed that if approved, then they'd be getting one of the Asgard older power sources… something that Earth could base new technology for their ships. Whatever the Asgard gifted them with, he knew that Colonel Carter would be excited to work on them in Area 51 when she returned from testing the new Hyperdrive on the Prometheus.

"Power generation's good" said the General as Thor nodded his head.

"That is the best that we could do for the SGC, for Earth" said Thor, "as well as give you our thanks."

The grey alien then looked at Tara, and blinked before taking a step forward.

"However" said Thor as he looked at Tara, "we would not have the protein marker without your aid. We are unaware of how to thank you and…"

"There.. there's one thing I'd like to know" said Tara as she looked at Thor, and then at General O'Neil, Major Sheppard, and then at Dr. Weir who nodded their head before telling her to ask whatever question she wanted; the General just asked her not to ask anything that may compromise national security. Tara nodded her head before looking at Thor, and told him that she wanted to know a few things, "umm… what do you know about demons?"

The grey alien nodded his head before leading them back to the room where they were first transported into. Thor stepped behind a console once inside the room while Tara and the others looked at him from behind the console as he moved a crystal, and then turned the grey coloured stone. Suddenly, there was a view of Earth… at least what they thought was Earth since the continents were in vastly different positions than where they were in the present day.

"This must before continental drift put everything were it is right now" said Dr. Weir as they stepped back and looked up at the three dimensional image over their heads.

"This is from the Asgard database" said Thor as he looked at Tara, who was looking tat he image with her mouth wide open, "as we have said, the Asgard have been watching over the Earth for millions of years following the exodus of the Ancients. We have been observing the planet for years following that and one year…"

Everyone looked on surprise as creatures; gigantic demons appeared on the image of the Earth as it zoomed in onto the land masses.

"A few Asgard beamed down to the surface to catalogue these creatures… creatures that later human would call demons" said Thor, "but they were never heard from again. Another team was sent to Earth to investigate, and that time… the Asgard did not send down a party. Opting instead to fly their ship down into the planet; but they were soon attacked by large flying creatures."

Tara saw the images of several large demons with wings that Thor explained were coming after the ship. That it had no choice but to kill them before leaving the planet, and that ever since then… all the Asgard did was watch as demons took over the Earth.

"The creatures were living beings who were no threat to the Asgard" said Thor, "so we did not interfere in their evolution. We watched them take over the Earth, and it was that way for millions of years before the Furlings returned. From what we know during our Alliance with them, the Furlings.. particularly their mystical sects, taught early humans mystics."

"Humans drove back the Old Ones to their own dimension" said Tara as she whispered at the image, "so it was true.. all the stories were true."

"Old ones?" asked Dr. Weir as she looked at the blonde, who looked back at the diplomat.

"These creatures" said Tara as she pointed at the demons, "they're the Old Ones; the pure demons, more powerful… bigger and uglier than the ones that.. well, John faced for example."

"But they're demons, I mean the ones that Dr. Jackson, MacKay and I faced.. right" said the Major as Tara nodded her head while Thor turned off the image and looked at Tara.

"Yes" said Tara nodding her head, "but they're more like half-breeds, not pure demons. But… but this is confirmation of everything."

"And only you'll know" said the General, "I'm sorry; but you can't tell you're friends about this since… well.."

"They'll ask where I got my information from" said Tara nodding her head, "I understand."

Tara then turned to Thor and thanked him for showing her what she wanted to know.. for confirming what she had heard from Giles and her mother as story's.

"The Asgard thank you, Tara" said Thor nodding his head before he tilted it, and then pressed down, and turned a few crystals. It was then that Tara looked at the large window in the room and saw Earth fly away before they were surrounded by a tunnel of blue and white.

"Thor? Old Buddy?" asked the general as he looked at the Hyperspace tunnel and then back at Thor, "what'cha…."

"Goddess" whispered Tara as they all looked out the window at the collection of stars in the distance after a few seconds of Hyperspace flight, "is… is that…"

"The Milky Way" said the General as he looked out the window at the sight of their home galaxy, while Major Sheppard stood next to Tara who looked on in wonder, and Dr. Weir smiled at the sight of the collection of stars in the distance. Tara then turned around and thanked Thor, before she looked at the view of her home galaxy. It was a few minutes later that Thor returned them to the orbit of Earth, complete with a worried Colonel Caldwell asking the General what just happened.

While the General told him that everything was alright, Tara asked Dr. Weir and the Major if she could look around the Daedalus, if it wasn't too much trouble. It was then that the General, overhearing what Tara asked the Major and Dr. Weir, asked Colonel Caldwell if he wouldn't mind having a guest that just saved their most important ally look around the ship with an escort.

"She won't have access to the engineering room, weapons, or anything that's vital for the running of the ship" said the General as he heard Colonel Caldwell sigh before he told General O'Neill that he'll meet with the guest, and the escort on the bridge.

"There you go" said the General as he looked at Tara, "there are those places you're not allowed to go and…"

"That's fine" said Tara nodding her head excitedly while holding onto the Major's hand, "and.. thank you."

"Enjoy" said General O'Neill.

TBC

 


	28. Chapter 28

**The Daedalus, orbit of Earth, 2225 hours.**

Tara looked on as General O'Neill waved at her before he vanished in a beam of light. But not before saying that a car will be sent to Buffy's house in twenty minutes to pick up Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard; all so that the cover is maintained that the three of them really did head to the Sunnydale Army Base. The three of them nodded their head before the General vanished, and then it was the turn of Tara, Major Sheppard and Dr. Weir to be beamed away.

Thor then thanked Tara for what she did for them, with the blonde simply waving her hands and shaking her head before telling Thor that she should be thanking him for showing her such amazing things. The grey being then nodded his head before telling Dr. Weir that he'll beam down to the SGC should the High Council agree with his recommendations.

"Thank you, Thor" said Dr. Weir before the alien pressed a button on the console in front of him. The next thing Tara knew, a white light washed over her and then she was looking out a large glass window at a sea of stars.

"I never get tired of seeing that" whispered Tara as she stepped forward and pressed her hand onto the glass just as she heard someone clear his throat from behind her. She then saw the Major put his hand on her shoulder before turning her around slowly.

"Tara" said the Major as Tara turned her body while looking at the stars before she turned her head to the bald man that was walking towards them. Suddenly the blonde opened her eyes and mouth in shock while she held on tightly to Major Sheppard's shoulder before she took a step back. She was looking at the man while the Major and then Dr. Weir, as well as five others… two of whom were seated on either side of the bald man, looked at Tara when she gave a small scream.

"Tara?" asked Dr. Weir looking at the blonde who took another step back from the bald man while holding tightly to the Major who was looking back at his sister in worry.

Tara knew that the two people next to her were telling her something, but she couldn't hear it. She had never felt what she was feeling now from anyone before; not from demons, not from vampires, and definitively not from anyone human. What she felt was pure hate, anger, spite, and a hunger for conquest from the man who was now just standing in surprise while the others just looked at him, and then at her.

The witch then closed her eyes before opening them again; this time she saw the face of a deformed creature looking back at her, it was something that made her give a little scream before she saw a red pulsing light covering the man's aura… a red light that covered his entire head. She then looked at the Major who had turned her to face him… she could see his lips moving but no sound was coming through because of the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. She then glanced at the bald man again and she sensed his hate again before she looked at the Major.

"Tara!" said Major Sheppard as he placed both hands on her cheeks while Dr. Weir was telling one of the personnel on the ship's bridge to get a doctor.

"N.. no" said Tara as she looked at the Major who was trying his best to coax her, telling her that she was on a ship and that sometimes weird things happened after transport; that whatever she was feeling would soon pass. However, Tara was shaking her head 'no' vigorously before she looked at the Major, and then glanced at the bald man, and then looked at the Major again before saying just one word nervously.

"P..Possessed" said Tara as she looked at the Major, and then glanced over at the bald man, "possessed.. he… he's possessed."

"Possessed?" asked the Major as he looked at Dr. Weir who looked back at him in surprise, before the both of them looked at the bald man.

"Colonel Caldwell" said the Major as he pushed Tara behind him, "Could you come with us to the infirmary?"

"For what?" said the Colonel with a chuckle, "look, Major.. General O'Neill told me that you'll be bringing a guest to tour non-sensitive areas of the ship. There's still a lot of things we need to do before we set off so, let's get on with this tour and…."

"Stephen" said Dr. Weir as Colonel Caldwell glanced at the shaking Tara who was looking at the Colonel as well, "it'd make us feel better if you went for a check-up, as well as Tara."

"Elizabeth?" asked the Major.

"You know protocol's to medically examine every newcomer" said Dr. Weir as she looked at the Major, and then at Colonel Caldwell, "Steven, let's go and check the both of you out. Tara here has vibes I guess you could call it about someone who's not feeling too well. So let's get you checked out, and then…"

The next thing anyone knew, Colonel Caldwell had rushed forward with inhuman speed before he knocked aside Major Sheppard into Dr, Weir. The both of them fell onto the floor of the ship while the rest of the bridge crew looked on in surprise while Tara gave a yelp as the Colonel put an arm around her neck and held on tight to another hand while he was behind her.

"Get weapons" said the Major as he got up and pointed at the crew who suddenly moved into action. The alarms on the ship were set off with the crew member on the left most console got up and headed for a panel to get some weapons while another one called for security to come to the bridge, "the Colonel's been taken over by a Goa'uld… move it!"

"No, everyone stay where you are!" said a deep voice from behind Tara, the young woman didn't see eyes flashing gold.. the same flash that Major Sheppard, Dr. Weir who was being helped up by the Major, and the bridge crew had seen that made them stop in shock, "if anyone seeks to save this human, I will kill her."

"Let her go" said Dr. Weir.

"Cut the alarms" said the Goa'uld occupying Colonel Caldwell as he tightened the arm around Tara's neck, making the young girl scream, "cut the alarms or I snap her neck like a twig."

"Alarms, go" said the Major as one of the crew members cut the alarms just as four S.F's ran onto the bridge pointing their side-arms at the Colonel.

"Good" said the Colonel in that deep voice, "now, you will do exactly as I say. Whatever this female means to you, I know you will not hurt her to get to me. I will take control of the beaming technology and I will go with her to another site and…"

"We'll come after you" said Dr. Weir as she looked at Tara, and then at the Colonel, "Steven.. I know you're in there. Fight for control.. you…"

"Nothing of the host survives" said the Colonel as he looked at the S.F's, "weapons down!"

"Down! Down!" said the Major as he signalled the men to lower the weapons, which they reluctantly did while the Colonel moved and dragged Tara to the screen on the port side of the ship where he stood next to a console. Major Sheppard took a few steps forward when the Colonel looked at him and let go of her hand and put one arm tightly around her waist while tightening his arm around her throat and dragging her backwards to another console in the rear of the ship.

"Don't" said the Colonel as he glared at Major Sheppard before he looked at the Console and started pressing some keys.

"Colonel Caldwell, this is Hermiod. The transportation system is being locked out using your command code. Is something the matter?"

"I will take her to my lord Ba'al using this console" said the Colonel as Hermiod's voice came over the P.A system again, asking for an answer, "you claim she has special abilities… I am certain that she will make a good queen for him."

"Tara" said Major Sheppard as he looked at his sister whose eyes were wide open while he walked slowly over to the command chair when the Colonel was distracted and typing on the console with the arm that had been around Tara's waist just a few seconds ago, "Tara, I need you to look at me."

Tara looked at her brother while the Colonel's arm was threatening to crush her throat. She could feel the vice like grip around her throat and was afraid that if she tried to move, then she'll be dead. Tara could hear Major Sheppard asking her to stay calm, and to look at his eyes. She saw that he was glancing down repeatedly towards his hands. She then looked at his hands which were pointing to his left; glancing over to the left… she saw the handguns on the floor next to the S.F's just as the Colonel tightened his grip again and she yelped.

"Colonel" said Major Sheppard as he took a step forward before stopping and gently pushing aside one of the S.F's while still looking at Tara whose eyes followed him, "she's not important to you."

"Take me" said Dr. Weir, "I know everything about Stargate Operations. Ba'al would have more need for me than Tara."

"Your time will come, Elizabeth" said the Colonel in that deep voice with a sneer on his face, "but Major Sheppard said this female has abilities… special abilities. I believe Lord Ba'al would want that in his queen, perhaps you would make a suitable First Prime.. or a consort perhaps."

"Her pies are real good" said the Major as he stepped to one side glanced down at a weapon that one of the crew members had dropped after taking it out from a compartment on the wall, "that's Tara's special talent right there. Really good apple pies."

"Don't try it!" said the Colonel after he finished typing and then looked at the Colonel with a sneer on his face. In the meantime, Dr. Weir was looking at a corner of the ship while making signals with her hands which were on her side before she looked at Colonel Caldwell whose finger was hovering over a button.

"Tara" said the Major as he glanced down towards his feet, which were pointing to the dark purple object lying on the floor, and finally he glanced to his open hand, "if he activates the beams, both of you will go down to the surface. I need you to push… hard."

"I have the strength of ten men" said Colonel Caldwell, "she will not be able to do anything. Goodbye."

"No!" shouted the Major as Colonel Caldwell pressed the button but nothing happened. There was no buzzing sound, there was no flash of light.. the two of them were still here.

"No! No! No!" shouted the Colonel as he held on to Tara tightly again and used her as a shield while the Major quickly picked up the Zat that was lying on the floor and activated it. The Colonel then looked at the Major and smiled, "she'll be dead before that beam hits me. Shoot… I dare you."

"You have nowhere to go" said Dr. Weir as she looked at the corner of the bridge and nodded her head before looking at the Colonel, "you forgot the security cameras. When Hermiod didn't get a response, he and the others in the engineering room activated the cameras to see what was going on. The transporters have been disabled. You've got nowhere to go… surrender."

"Hermiod!" shouted the Colonel, "I need you to…"

"Tara" said Major Sheppard, "push… as hard as you can."

"I will kill her if you interrupt me again!" shouted the Colonel before shouting at Hermiod to release the transporter controls or else he would kill her. He told the Asgard not to even try beaming just him out, that he knew they were too close that the beam would take the both him and Tara instead, "and you will not kill the host, Asgard."

"Tara" said the Major as Tara looked at the man and closed her eyes.

Even now Tara could feel it; even this high up in orbit she could feel just a brush of the Earth's magic against her skin. She gathered what magic she could from all the way up in orbit while whispering a spell.

"Silence" said the Colonel as he whispered in her ear.

Tara opened her eyes just as a great forced pushed her, and the Colonel, back against the wall behind them. It knocked the wind out of the blonde when the Colonel was slammed against the wall.. leading him to release her. It was then that the S.F's got into action again while Dr. Weir rushed to Tara and pulled her away while the Major shot one beam of blue light from the Zat to the Colonel. Tara turned around just in time while holding her hand to her throat to see the blue energy crackle throughout the man's body as he lay on the floor; his eyes glowing gold before the eyelids shut.

"Tara" said the Major as he rushed to his sister after handing the Zat to one of the S.F's. The young woman hugged him tightly while Dr. Weir told the S.F's to take the Colonel to the brig. She then pressed a button on the control chair that connected to the Engineering room telling Hermiod to restore control to the transport beams. She then told one of the crew members at the consoles next to the command chair to connect her to the SGC; that she needed to speak with General Landry.

"John" said Dr. Weir to the Major who was holding on to Tara, "take Tara to the infirmary; then once she's cleared, take her home."

"Yea" replied the Major as he guided the shaking Tara out of the bridge just as General Landry's face appeared on screen.

TBC.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**The Daedalus, orbit of Earth, 2235 hours.**

Two minutes.

That's what Tara realized as she held on to Major's Sheppard's arm while he was guiding her to the infirmary on the Daedalus. Four minutes since they beamed over to the ship, and for two of those minutes she was held captive by the commanding officer of the Earth vessel.

A Commanding Officer who the Major was telling his sister was taken over by one of the Earth's enemies, the Goa'uld. Tara shook her head and just willed herself to stay fixated on the Major's hand on her arm, she ordered herself just to concentrate on that.

'Oh, and don't think about the whole thing with Glory,' she thought to herself while trying to keep focus as she imagined the time that she had her brain energy sucked away by the half-god. And today, Tara had her first incident with an alien race, a race that emitted so much hate that she felt her own soul quake, 'hate, anger.. no, not anger.. anger's when you don't get French toast, and instead you get pancakes… this was rage. Pure rage.'

She then turned her head and looked at the Major who was looking forward and walking with her, his eyes showing how angry he was at himself that he let something like this happen to his own sister. Tara then looked away and smiled before looking at the Major again and telling him that it wasn't his fault; that he didn't know what was going to happen.

"No one knew, John," said Tara.

"Should have been more careful," said the Major before they turned into the infirmary where Tara was surprised to see Dr. Becket cataloguing some medications, "Doc?"

"Major… oh, Tara," said the doctor surprised in seeing the Major bringing Tara into the infirmary and then helping her sit on one of the beds while she was telling her brother that she was going to be alright. After the welcomes were done, Major Sheppard told the surprised doctor what happened on the bridge to Tara, and that Colonel Caldwell seemed to have been taken over by a Goa'uld. Immediately the doctor then took charge and asked the Major to stay back while he took a look at Tara. It was twenty minutes later that the doctor cleared Tara, but not before telling the young woman that she may have some slight bruising on her neck.

"I'm guessing I'll have to come up with a better excuse than I was manhandled by an Air Force Colonel who happened to be possessed by an alien parasite?" smirked Tara.

"Yes," said Dr. Beckett and Major Sheppard together just as Dr. Weir walked in and asked Dr. Beckett how his patient was doing. Once he gave the all clear, Dr. Weir asked the man to go with some S.F's and the Major to examine the Colonel before he was to be interrogated by someone from the SGC on the whereabouts of Ba'al.

"Will he be alright?" asked Tara as she looked at Dr. Weir.

"Once we have the information we need," said Dr. Weir nodding at Tara, "we'll be asking Hermiod and Thor to beam that Goa'uld out of his head. But in the meantime, maybe you should be heading home. This has been a…"

"Could I stay?" asked Tara as she looked at Dr. Weir, Major Sheppard and then at Dr. Beckett, before looking at her brother, "I'll be staying out of your way and…. and…"

"Elizabeth," said Major Sheppard as she looked at his commander, "I'd suppose that we are very lucky that Tara was on board to find that Colonel Caldwell has a snake in his head?"

"Yes," said the diplomat.

"I suppose Tara was key in protecting our outpost from being infiltrated by a Goa'uld who could have done some really bad things and now we have a chance of finding out?" asked the Major who winked at Tara who gave the man a smile before both of them looked at Dr. Weir, "I suppose one could consider Tara a hero."

"Yes," said Dr. Weir looking questioningly at the Major.

"And I suppose that since she was instrumental in uncovering a possible breach in security," said the Major, "that maybe I still show her around the ship?"

"As long as she's aware that nothing she sees can be…," said Dr. Weir before she looked at the blonde witch who was shaking her head.

"I won't tell," said Tara.

"Then I'm fine," said Dr. Weir, "I'll just inform General Landry and, Tara? He's very thankful that you were able to see the threat that we weren't able to see."

"It's ok," said Tara as she waved her hands about and shook her head, "it'd be nice to spend some time with John before he brings me down to Earth… I mean that literally."

"Once day you'll be able to tell your family and friends, but I'm afraid that's not going to be for some time," said Dr. Weir before she looked at the Major, "John, General Landry still wants us to leave as scheduled. Colonel Paul Emerson will be taking temporary command of the ship while Steven, or the Goa'uld that's inside him, being questioned. Then there's the whole taking the snake out, and a debriefing, followed by a break for the man."

"I understand," said the Major nodding his head.

"Tara," said Dr. Weir as she looked at the blonde, "again.. thank you for everything you've done. For us, and for the Asgard."

"It.. it was nothing," said Tara which a smile as she looked at the diplomat, and then at the Major, "really. But.. but that's the enemy you guys are facing?"

"Come on, Tara," said the Major as he helped her step down from the bed, while she put one arm in the crook of his arm, "I'll tell you what I know… but the things I'm facing are a bit more scary… more ugly."

Dr. Weir just smiled while she looked at the two siblings walk out of the infirmary arm in arm; she liked the calming effect that Tara has had on the Major since they met, and she hoped that would make him a better commander for the Atlantis military contingent. The woman then walked out of the infirmary and headed to the brig where General O'Neill and Colonel Dixon were going to teleport in to question the Goa'uld inside Colonel Caldwell with a Tok'ra memory recall device.

While the Goa'uld and the Colonel were being questioned, the Major walked with Tara to the engine room where lay the best gift the Asgard could ever have given Earth, the intergalactic Hyperdrive. There, Tara saw MacKay moving quick from one console to another with a few other engineers doing their work… starting again after the incident on the bridge that they were all watching on the screen only minutes ago.

"Tara," said Mackay as he walked past her while looking at the screen before shouting at one of his people to run a diagnostic. He then turned to the blonde witch and told her that he knew she'd be safe, and then went off to another console to the left of the Asgard engineer, Hermiod.

"Umm… hi," said Tara waving her hand at the grey alien.

"Greetings," said Hermiod before he went back to doing his work when one of the other scientists in the engine room asked the Asgard to check on their shield emitters.

Major Sheppard then told the blonde witch that they should get going, that the crew still had a lot of things to do before they set off at the end of the week. Tara nodded her head before she was led away by the Major, but not before Hermiod, who was pressing down a few crystals on his console, turned his head quickly and looked at Tara before looking back at his console and thanking her for what she was doing for the Asgard, later saying that Thor had contacted him and told him about the positive results on the protein marker.

"You're.. you're welcome," said the witch as Hermiod continued doing his work while Tara smiled and then walked away with the Major. They had spent another hour on the ship talking about the races in the Milky Way, the weapon he had used against the Colonel, and if the SGC managed to find Elvis on another world; the last bit was something that made the both of them look at each other before laughing. The tour ended in the Mess Hall which had the best view of Earth from orbit. Tara looked at the planet below while holding on to Major Sheppard's hand for a few more minutes before telling him that she was ready to head home.

**The Summers Residence, later that night.**

There was a car parked two houses away from the Summers home, only moving when there was a bright flash of light from the front door. The driver, an Airman with the SGC, then drove up to the house and waited for Major Sheppard who was standing in front of the main door with his sister.

The Major looked back at the car soon after he and Tara materialized before nodding his head slightly, resulting in the headlights of the car turning on and off. The man then looked at his sister again and knocked on the door, which soon opened to Willow looking out at the two and smiling as Tara walked into the house, and the couple hugged.

"You must have enjoyed yourself," said Willow as she looked at the grinning Tara who broke the hug and nodded her head before the redhead looked at the Major again and asked him to come in for a bite to eat, "we've still got some food."

"Thanks, but….,"

'Willow?" asked a male voice whose footsteps the Major could hear, and then he looked at the smile on Tara's face as she looked to her right side towards the living room, and then at the Major again as a scruffy looking man with unkempt short hair walked up behind Willow, who then stepped aside and introduced the newcomer to the Major.

"This is Wesley Wyndham Pryce," said Willow as she looked at Major Sheppard and motioned towards the man who was holding a book in his left hand before he brought up his right hand to shake the Major's hand.

"And this is my brother, Major John Sheppard," said Tara.

"Ah," replied Wesley shaking the man's hand, "yes, Mr. Giles and Buffy were talking about you. She's told me what you've done for Tara, I have a feeling that we may need some help down the line. Even if the Council's too proud to ask for help."

"Wesley's one of the guys from L.A," said Willow as the Major nodded his head, "Fred's upstairs and Lorne's at Willie's. I can wake up Dawn for you and…"

"No," laughed the Major, "it's alright. How's Xander? Buffy?"

"Xander's back at his apartment," said Willow, "and Buffy's patrolling… why? You wanna talk to her?"

Willow gave the Major an exaggerated wink that made Tara giggle while Major Sheppard could only shake his head. The man then said his goodbyes and was about to turn around when he stopped himself. Major Sheppard then asked Wesley and Willow if they found anything suspicious about the explosions that seem to have killed their friends. It was Wesley who told him that they were still unaware of why their allies were killed, and why the law office of Wolfram and Hart was bombed since they weren't considered allies. The Major asked Wesley to give Tara whatever information he found.. any information if he believed there was a threat, than Tara would relay that to Major Sheppard's superiors.

"We'll help as much as we can," said the Major, "of course the Council will probably say that Buffy's under their jurisdiction."

"But Tara is under the Pentagon's," said Willow nodding her head.

"Yep," replied the Major who looked at Willow, "her and anyone who lists this address as their home… and not the Slayer. Which means you, Tara, and Dawn. Technically the help won't be for Buffy…. but then again, if Tara decides to share with Buffy then we can't stop her. Xander getting trained too… I heard he accepted the Army's offer to work with him on building his knowledge.. he's doing good from what I've hear."

"Nice," replied a nodding Tara. The Major then looked at Tara and Willow, telling them that he was going to be busy for the next three to four days, and they'll have him…. he'd like to come and visit for a day since he was scheduled to leave again soon.

"Yes, please" said Tara as she hugged the Major again before he left the home. Once the door closed behind him, he walked towards the car and opened the door. He then turned around and looked at the house again before getting into the car which then drove away. It was after reaching the Sunnydale Army base was both he and the driver beamed to the SGC; where the Major debriefed General Landry.

**The Summers residence, five days later, 1230 hours.**

It had been five days later that Major Sheppard found himself on Buffy's front porch again after getting out of the car from the Sunnydale Army base. He stood on the porch and just as he lifted his hand to knock on the door, it opened wide with Buffy looking back at Dawn, who was standing on the stairs and looking at the Major with eyes wide open in surprise, with Buffy telling the brunette that she'll be going out on patrol after work. The Major put his hands in his pockets and chuckled silently when Buffy stopped in the middle of something else she wanted to say and turned around slowly when Dawn started giggling and pointed her hand towards the open door.

"Hey" said the Major as Buffy closed her jacket over the red striped Doublemeat Palace uniform she was wearing and smiled nervously, "bad time?"

"No" said Buffy as she covered the top part of her jacket with her other hand so that the red collar didn't show through, "I.. I well… you know how it goes.. work in fast food and… stuff."

Buffy looked at the Major looking back at her with an eye brow raised, and felt just as she did when Riley came back to Sunnydale to asked for her help in looking for 'the Doctor'. Back then she was also wearing the Doublemeat Palace uniform and her cap, which this time she was glad not to be wearing… instead it was in her back pocket.

'Yep,' thought Buffy to herself, 'I don't look like a dork… oh God, I look like a dork, don't I?'

"Hey," said the Major bringing Buffy out of her reverie and back into the real world; smiling inside as he recalled their conversation over the past few days where she talked about fighting vampires, and being busy with work, "before you go to work, you free tomorrow?"

"You're asking Buffy out on a date?" asked Dawn in surprise ass he ran down the stairs, "oh come on, this isn't fair and.. and by the way I…."

"Dawn," said Buffy.

"No, it's not for a date," said the Major as Dawn suddenly had a wide grin on her face while Buffy looked back at the Major with her hands on her hips and an eye brow raised.

"Hey," said Buffy as Major Sheppard sighed, "I'll have you know that I'm very datable, and peppy.. yeah.. I'm real peppy even when I am slaying and stuff and…"

"Let me start from the beginning," said the Major as he waved his hands about while Tara walked down the stairs after hearing the commotion on the porch.

"John?" asked Tara as she rushed down and hugged the Major before she stepped back and asked why he didn't call before coming back to visit.

"Because he didn't come to ask Buffy for a date," said Dawn.

"Dawn," said Buffy as she looked at her sister who in return, stuck her tongue out at the blonde girl.

"Ummm…" said Tara as she looked at the Major, "John?"

"From the beginning… again," said the Major before he turned to Tara, "I know I said I was gonna come tomorrow, and… well.. I had a thought. I'm supposed to be in D.C tonight, and… well… I thought that maybe you guys could come down to D.C. I mean it's a Saturday tomorrow so Dawn doesn't have school… and maybe Buffy could take a day off with you, Willow, and Xander. You know.. get you guys out of here for a bit and…"

"You serious?" asked Dawn as she jumped up and down before turning to Buffy and squeezing her arm and then she started to shake the blonde girl, "Buffy.. please.. please.. please..please.. please.. please."

"Even if I could take the day off," said Buffy as she looked at Dawn who already knew what the blonde was going to say, "we can't…"

"It's not every day that I find out I have a sister," said the Major, "and if I can't take our her and her friends then…"

"Please… Buffy," said Dawn, "I mean just one day out of Sunnydale."

"we've got vampires here, Dawnie," said Buffy as Dawn's face dropped before she nodded her head. Seeing her sister's sad face, the Slayer sighed before telling Dawn that she should go… that she didn't have to stay since it wasn't her responsibility to face the creatures of darkness. The Slayer did the calculations in her head and decided that would be the best thing to do. She then turned to Willow and Tara, and told them that she'll let Dawn go only if either one of them.. or the both of them went with her.

"No offence, John," said Buffy as she tightly held Dawn's hand while the latter was looking back at her, "but it's for my peace of mind and…"

"That's the other thing," said the Major, "there's a gig tonight… it's a classified thing and…"

"A classified gig?" asked Buffy, "seriously?"

"Sorry" said the Major, "can't really tell you what it's about. We've found you do have the clearance to know what's going on, but what's missing is your need-to-know classification. And since you're still considered an agent for another organization.. well…"

"I get it," said Buffy as she rubbed her forehead, "so secret party?"

"Yea," said the Major as he looked at all of them and then at Tara, "there's something being held at a classified location in D.C. I was hoping you'd come?"

"Me?" asked Tara

"Trust me," said the Major, "there's a reason, and it's with you being under the protection of the Pentagon."

"It is a classified ball, or something?" asked Willow excitedly when she noticed the expression on the Major's face change, "Oh my God, it is a classified ball."

"Hey," said Dawn as she looked at everyone, and then at Dawn before looking away dramatically and mumbling under her breathe, "I should be the one being asked."

"I wish I could ask you guys to come but…"

"I know," said Willow while Buffy walked towards Tara and rubbed the witch's back.

"Looks like you need a dress," said the blonde Slayer.

"When's the thing?" asked Willow excitedly.

"I know it's short notice and I was just told about it this morning so…. it's at nine tonight," said the Major as Willow's eyes went wide before she pulled Tara back into the house, and called Dawn to follow them so that she could help Tara find a dress.

"And if we don't find one.. we're going shopping and…"

"I'll buy," said the Major as Willow and Dawn stopped at the stairs before looking at each other, and then at Tara, and then at the Major before they pulled poor Tara back down the stairs and ran out the front door after Major Sheppard and Buffy split apart to let them through, with the Major telling them to wait for him in the SUV. In the meantime, Buffy chuckled while she closed the front door before she and the Major walked out of the porch and onto the walkway.

"I'm guessing the Initiative wasn't the only thing you've faced?" asked the Major as Buffy nodded her head.

"No," said Buffy, "there's been some doozy's… but we've survived."

"There's a lot of people high up who'd like to know more about you and…"

"You're an ok guy, John," said the blonde Slayer as they almost reached the SUV, "but I've seen what the military's capable of when they are too curious. I mean I know I haven't been experimented on by your superiors and, neither has Willow, or Tara.. or…"

"We've read up on the people in charge of the Initiative," said the Major, "not everyone's the same in the military. I think the fact that you pointed out that nothing's happened to you, Willow, or Tara's evidence of that fact. My superiors would like to know what you've been trough… all that you've done to save the world. The Council won't find out, all we're asking for are reports… I mean what you did, how you did it… what you felt. Whatever you can remember. Maybe one day you'd be recognized for what you've done and…"

"I'm not doing this to be recognized, John," said Buffy as they stopped moving and looked at each other, "it's a calling… a destiny. I can't run from it, and I can't fight it."

"What I do is my calling too" said the Major, "I don't believe in destiny; I think you make your own fate.. your own future. If I believed in destiny, I'd be doing what my father wanted me to do all those years ago. I don't do what I do for the recognition either, it's my responsibility to make sure this planet's safe.. and that everyone on it wakes up to it still existing. Just like it's your responsibility to make sure demons and vampires don't take over."

"I know," said Buffy nodding her head, "but…"

"One day," said the Major, "we could give you whatever resources you need in the open to fight the vampires, and demons; maybe there'll be a time when the Council listens to the President and lets us help you directly. In the meantime, the reports you give us will give us an idea of what's needed in case Tara calls in for an emergency. That way she… and by extension you, will have what you need and…"

"I don't like guns, John," said the Slayer, "guns don't kill vampires and…"

"There's a lot of things that exist that you, or the Council don't know about" said the Major referring to the advanced alien weapons, and the Ancients Outposts in Sunnydale and Death Valley, among seven others around the world that have been found after the scans from the Daedalus were completed, "trust me when I say that Tara'll have the resources she needs. In the meantime, just write down what you remember… give the report to Tara. And she'll contact my superiors; everything's gonna be kept confidential."

"Alright," said Buffy nodding her head after she noticed the serious look on the Major's face.

"And don't worry about getting to, and going around D.C," said the Major, "I'll take care of it and…"

"I can't ask you to do that, John," said Buffy.

"You didn't ask" said the Major as Buffy shook her head, "I insisted. Just let me know who's coming."

"But…," said Buffy.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said the Major as he pointed back the SUV, "need a ride?"

"I smell of mystery meat burgers, and fries that was cooked in week old oil" said Buffy as her face grimaced, "you really don't want that me in that thing. I'll walk, thanks though."

The Major watched as Buffy shrugged her shoulders before she turned around. She had taken a few steps when the Major called for her.

"Listen," said Major Sheppard as Buffy turned around again, "get a day off tomorrow. It's good to just let go for a day, take the stress away."

"That's my life… full of stress and… stuff" said Buffy as she waved at the Major before putting her hands in her pockets, turning around, and waking away again. After taking a few steps, she turned around and told the Major that she'll ask her boss, but it depends on Wesley and if he can handle whatever dangers that exist in Sunnydale.

"No promises" said Buffy as the Major nodded his head before watching Buffy walk off.

The man then smiled before he turned around and entered the SUV's passenger side, telling the driver that they had to make a stop at the mall.

TBC.

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Sunnydale Army Base, 1445 hours.**

While Tara and Major Sheppard knew that the trip to Washington D.C would be instantaneous using the Daedalus' Asgard teleportation system, they still had to pretend they were running out of time before finishing up their shopping trip. So, Tara had to pretend to hurriedly look through some dresses with Dawn and Willow, both of whom were bringing her one dress after another with the Major pretending to be the impatient brother standing outside the store. While standing outside the store where the girls were shopping, he saw Tara hurrying and, as they looked at each other for just a moment, he mouthed silently that he was sorry.

All Tara could do was discreetly shake her head, mouthing that it was alright before she continued the search with Willow and Dawn. Back in the vehicle, Tara insisted that the Major did not have to buy a dress for her; in fact, she made it a command.

"Two hours, ladies," the Major said when the group arrived at the mall and by now they had spent nearly forty-five minutes searching for a dress. It took some time, but it was Willow who picked out a pale blue dress that lit up both Dawn and Tara's faces. Tara then showed the dress to the Major, who nodded his head from the outside, and was prepared to walk back into the store when Tara wagged her finger while staring him sternly. Smirking, the Major still headed into the store and paid for the dress over Tara's objections.

"John," said Tara shaking her head while frowning. The Major shrugged his shoulder before telling Tara that if he couldn't buy a dress for his sister, then who else could he buy it for. Tara sighed while Willow held onto her hand, the four of them walking out of the store with the dress fitted into a cover that Major Sheppard was carrying in his hand. Once the made a left turn outside the store, Dawn's eyes then lit up before she grabbed Tara's arm, and pulled her away from Willow.

"We're doing your hair, now," Dawn said excitedly as she pulled Tara to a saloon on the far side of the floor while Willow and Major Sheppard could only chuckle.

"Thanks," said Willow with the Major walking next to her, "for doing this… for her."

"It could be you, one day," said the Major as Willow looked at him and narrowed her eyebrows. The Major noticed the look and gave a small smile before he spoke again, "MacKay's been saying you've done a lot with some satellite issues. Fixed some problems that he didn't know was there."

"Oh," said Willow as she turned her head and looked at Tara taking a seat while Dawn was excitedly talking to her and the hairdresser, "I just found some, well… stuff, with the satellite. I mean, I think Dr. Carter and Dr. Lee or Dr. Mackay may have found it eventually but…"

"He was complaining," chuckled the Major while Willow looked at him in surprise.

Major Sheppard noticed the wide eyed and worried look on Willow's face and immediately shook his hands and head while saying, "no… no… he's mad at himself… that he didn't figure this out by himself. He was saying something about someone without a doctorate doing what he couldn't do, and that Colonel Carter recruited you, instead of him doing the recruiting. Which is ok, in a way. All I can say is that MacKay needs a little getting used to if you're going to be working with him."

"So, you're heading back soon," said Willow nodding her head as they arrived at the saloon before Dawn ran out and told the redhead about the curls that she convinced Tara have done to her hair. The seated blonde witch caught the reflection of her girlfriend on the mirror in front of her; Tara could see the love in those green eyes as Willow smiled and told the blonde that she was going to look great.

"See," said as excited Dawn who skipped over to Tara's side.

"We'll be outside, Tara," said Willow nodding her head towards a nearby bench.

As Willow turned away, Tara saw the redhead's eyes in the mirror's reflection look worried for just an instant. But then just as quickly, the worry vanished and was replaced with determination. She wondered what Willow was so worried about initially until she saw the redhead telling the Major… that she had something to tell him.

"Willow," said Tara as she looked at the reflection of the redhead who turned and looked back at her with a small smile on her face. In the meantime, a confused Dawn looked at Tara and then at Willow, and back to Tara again. Tara knew what the redhead wanted to do; but she didn't know what the Major would say or think, "Willow, maybe now's not the great time.. and…"

"I need to say this, Tara," Willow gently said as she looked at her girlfriend, and then at Dawn who now knew what Willow was talking about. The both of them watched as Willow gently pulled the Major away to the small bench near the railing that looked down at the ground floor of the mall.

Willow sat down next to the Major and closed her eyes, steeling herself before she spoke.

"John," said Willow while she looked at the Major, who was confused as to why Willow was looking so serious all of a sudden, "there's something that you should know about me."

"Ok," said the Major nodding his head slowly.

"You know I practice magic," whispered Willow as she leaned in towards the Major, "I mean I'm a witch so…"

"Yeah," he replied.

"There are some things I did, John," said Willow as the Major just nodded his head. Willow could see that he was trying to just listen, and hoped that he won't judge her. She was suddenly feeling very apprehensive, but a big part of her knew that Major Shepard needed to know about her issues with magic, "one thing you need to know about magic.. one thing I've learned after hitting rock bottom… is that magic's addictive. Very addictive. The rush is simply amazing. I mean all that power going through your body is like… like taking a hit."

"So you're an addict?" asked the Major while he tried to keep himself calm; he wanted to hear Willow out, so he knew he needed to be calm and collected. The Major suspected this was going to be hard to hear, and he knew that this was going to be hard for Willow to admit; he could already see the worry in her eyes, he could see the sweat gathering on her forehead from her nervousness. Glancing down while she gulped, searching for the right words to say, the Major noticed that she was clenching her hands into fists to stop her arms from trembling. He then looked into Willow's eyes and asked gently, "Willow, are you an addict?"

"Yes," admitted Willow in a soft voice as the Major sighed, "I… I just wanted to tell you because you're her brother. And you need to know the truth, about me. And I'm just asking that you let me finish."

"Alright," said the Major nodding his head as he instantly thought about what happened to Ford. The lieutenant had become addicted to the enzyme that the Wraith used to feed on human beings. He even harmed people during his escape from Atlantis, even forcing Dr. Beckett to give him their entire stockpile of Wraith enzymes. The Major and a few teams were mobilized to capture him before he could escape, but Ford eluded them, and injured others. The Major remembered shooting him with the Wraith stunner, but he was so high on the enzyme that he shrugged the effects of the weapon off… and then left Atlantis though the Stargate. Now, as he looked at Willow.. he wondered if the effects of magic were similar to the effects of the enzyme on Ford. Major Sheppard then shook his head, and noticed that Willow was waiting for him to say something, "go on, Willow."

"I lost control, John," said Willow as she looked at a laughing Dawn, and then at Tara whose hair was covered in some foil. The redhead then looked at the Major and told him what she did, "I changed her memories. We had so many fights about me misusing magic… so many times that I couldn't deal with someone telling me what to do that.. that I made her forget."

"Oh," said the Major as he looked at Willow who was looking down at the bench while playing with her fingers.

"We broke up, you know," said Willow as she looked up at the Major, "before we broke up, I… I did it again. I made her forget, but this time she knew… she knew what I did. I promised her that I'll stay off magic for a month. Tara told me to live without magic for a week and then she'll think about.. about if… if we should remain together."

"Did you?" asked the Major.

"I lasted a night," said Willow sadly, "the next day I… I wanted to make Tara forget.. and… and I did something that affected every one of my friends. They forgot who they were. I forgot who I was. And then when that spell broke, Tara knew what I did. She left me that night. Then after that, I spiralled out of control. The next day, I met another witch and.. and I went down to a place I had never been."

"You hit the bottom," said the Major as he reached for and held Willow's hand after he noticed a tear drop on the bench, and then she reached up and wiped her eyes with her free hand before he asked, "what happened?"

"Rack," said Willow as she looked up at the Major with red eyes, "me and Amy went to him to get our hits of magic. Then one night I was supposed to go to the movies with Dawn, and.. and I wanted a hit of dark magic. I didn't know how long I was at Rack's place after I took the dark magic hit. But Dawn was alone in the waiting room… poor Dawnie. I.. I think she said I was in for two hours but.. but I was out of it. She said that my eyes were black and everything and… and I guess a demon came into this dimension while Rack was doing his thing, and it attacked me and Dawn. We ran into a car, and I used my magic to drive it… and… and it's like driving drunk, or high on drugs. I nearly killed us both. I just got a cut, but Dawn broke her arm. I broke her arm. Luckily Buffy killed the demon that was still after us, but.. but the look on Dawn's face. I'll never forget that look. Buffy wanted to walk away from me with Dawn, but she came back for me when I begged for help… Dawn was bleeding and all I could do was cry like a baby. I knew I needed to make a change. I swore off magic and.. and Buffy, Dawn and the others helped me get rid of every magical thing in the house."

"That's good," said the Major.

"Tara and I were broken up for two months," said Willow as she wiped her eyes with her free hand and looked at Tara, and then at the Major again, "before we started talking again. I didn't know if she wanted to talk, so I… I kinda hid back and.. and I'd be there when she got out of class just so that I could bump into her and.. oh God that sounds so creepy."

Willow gave a little laugh as the Major tightened his hold on the redhead's hand.

"She took me back the next day after we talked," said Willow, "then a day later, you came and… and if you didn't; then maybe Tara would have died and… and who knows what I would have done. John, I made many mistakes with Tara, but the one thing I know is that I love her. I'm getting this addiction under control. I already asked Giles for help and a witch from a Coven in L.A's been visiting me every week. Tara's training me too, but Giles and Wesley said that having someone else train me would be a better fit. I will get my magic under control, John. I'm never going to hurt her again. I can't lose her. With the work that Dr. Carter's giving me, and class, and training... it's keeping my mind off magic and... and I'm slowly learning control."

"Why did you tell me this, Willow?" asked the Major.

"Because I feel guilty for I did," said Willow, "and so that you know the truth about the person who is in love with your sister. I can't change the past, but I can do everything possible to make sure I don't hurt Tara again. You have to believe me on this, after what happened with Dawn, I've had nightmares where Tara was in the passenger seat that day. I can't hurt her, not again."

"You love, Tara?" asked the Major as Willow nodded her head vigorously, "you know it's not easy to go cold turkey."

"I know," replied Willow, "but I've got Tara, Giles, Buffy, the Coven, I.. I think I'll be alright eventually. I know I'll learn control, but I swear to you that I won't harm Tara. Never again."

"It took a lot of guts to do what you just did," said the Major as Willow looked at him, "take care of my sister while I'm gone. Keep clean. That's all I'm asking you to do. If you wanna talk to me, you can send me an email… I'm gonna be away some place where the 'net connection's a bit iffy even on the best of days, but I'll respond as soon as I can. I've got a friend with a similar problem, except he ran away and the first thing I'm going to do is try getting him back. Don't do the same thing."

"I won't," said Willow.

"I won't tell my superiors," said the Major as Willow nodded her head, "provided you stay clean. I guess there'll be times when you need to use magic and.. and I trust you to know when that will be when the time comes."

"No more using magic for pulling the curtain, or cleaning up the trash," said Willow.

"You've got guts, Willow" said the Major, "I think in another life, you'd have made a fine officer."

All Willow could do was give a grin before she looked back into the salon, and watched Tara.

"I love her," she said.

"It's kinda obvious," replied the Major as Willow looked at him and gave a wide smile.

**Sunnydale Army Base, 1445 hours.**

It was two hours later that Major Sheppard and Tara said goodbye to Willow and Dawn. They then got into the waiting SUV with Tara's new dress, along with a bag that she quickly packed for spending two days in D.C. Before leaving, Tara kissed Willow while the Major looked away nervously. She then pulled away and told both the redhead and Dawn that she'll see them at D.C the next day. Not to be outdone, Dawn rushed to the Major just before he entered the car and hugged the man with Willow laughing at the brunette before she let the Major go; he then patted Dawn's back before gently pushing her towards the Summers house.

He then waved at Willow, giving her a nod and a smile before getting into the car. And then he and Tara headed for the Sunnydale Army base. On the way to the base, Tara was sitting next to the Major and looking out the window as the SUV drove past several houses. She then looked at her brother and asked him what was really going on; on why was there a sudden urgency to talk to her and get her to D.C.

"You'll find out everything soon," said the Major, "this time you'll find out everything."

"Everything?" asked Tara.

"Everything as in where I'm going," said the Major, "oh, we managed to help Colonel Caldwell recover from his ordeal, and.. and well... he'd like to apologize to you about what happened on the.. you know."

"Oh," said Tara with her eyes wide open in surprise upon hearing of the Colonel's quick recovery, "you.. you sure he's alright?"

"Yea," replied the Major, "you don't have to meet him if you don't want to.. he'll stay away from you if you want."

"No," said Tara while she shook her head, "I... I'd like to meet him again. I mean have a proper meeting with him, you know?"

"Yeah," replied the Major nodding his head before he looked at Tara and smiled, "you helped us discover what was going on with him; and because of what you did, it gave us some insight on what the Goa'uld wanted him to do and what plans they had for the outpost. If he succeeded in those plans, it would have been very, very, bad for all of us. Put it this way, you potentially saved hundreds of lives… and without those lives knowing that they were in danger in the first place."

"Oh," said the blonde witch, "I... I mean... oh."

"That's why you're being told what's going on," said the Major, "my superiors and Dr. Weir, thought that this would be a way to thank you, and to show you what you saved. And Tara, believe me when I tell you that you helped save something big,"

"Ok," replied the Witch with a looked of confusion on her face as she nodded her head at the Major, "and this something is?"

"You'll find out soon, Tara," said the Major before glancing at the driver, and then looking at the blonde witch again. He then leaned to his left and told the witch that he's saving that surprise for later, that she needed to sign something else when they reached D.C. Nodding her head while narrowing her eyebrows at the Major, Tara then smiled and sat back on her seat while telling the Major that she was glad that whatever they found, it had saved lives.

"Especially yours, John," she said.

It wasn't long before Tara and the Major, who was holding her dress and her to-go bag, were beamed to a hotel room in D.C. The Major then spread the curtains open and pointed towards the Washington monument in the distance. Tara rushed to the window sill and looked out at the view while a smile formed on her face, before looking at the Major again. He then told the young woman that he had been in D.C since last night working on some last-minute additions to the military contingent who were due to be going with them to their outpost.

"I just found out about my superior's decision to read you in this morning, and then I beamed over to Sunnydale.. and now... well... here we are," said the Major as he looked around the room, and then at Tara again, "this is your room, mine's four doors down, and Elizabeth's room is one floor above this one."

"I.. I don't know what to say," said Tara as she walked past the Major and looked at the rest of the room before turning around and then looking at the view past the Major's left shoulder, "thanks."

"I figured you'd go for the room with the view," said Major Sheppard, "so, you wanna take a break? Wanna get a bite to eat? I think Elizabeth, Dr. Jackson, MacKay, Carson, and the others should be here by now. We could get something at the bakery next door; some coffee before tonight."

"Where are we going?" asked Tara, "you still haven't told me."

"The White House," said the Major nonchalantly while Tara's smile dropped and her eyes widened.

"Umm..." said Tara nervously, "I.. I think I'll go for the coffee."

**White House, 2115 hours.**

After coffee at the nearby bakery with Major Sheppard, Dr. Weir, Dr. Beckett and Mackay, Tara returned to the hotel where Dr. Weir and the blonde witch went to the formers room to get ready for the function at the White House. In Dr. Weir's room, Tara asked what happened to Daniel since he didn't come with them to drink some coffee with their snacks.

"He's still busy packing his things at the SGC," said Dr. Weir before telling Tara that she didn't think he'd finish packing until the absolute last minute before they had to leave Earth orbit.

Tara tried to ask her about the outpost, but all Dr. Weir did was smile and tell her that she'll learn everything she needed to know soon enough. It was a few minutes before they were due to leave for the function that someone knock on Dr. Weir's door. Dr. Weir opened the door to reveal Major Davis in his dress blues with a folder in his hand. The diplomat stepped aside and let the Air Force officer into her room, and then closed the door behind her as she walked up to Tara with the Major.

"Miss Sheppard," said the Major as he handed Tara the folder, and a pen, "this is an updated Non-disclosure form that tells you not go repeat anything you hear today to others without prior approval from Home World Security."

"I understand," said Tara as she raised an eyebrow before nodding her head. She then took the document and pen before placing it on a table, and then signed on the dotted line. She then handed the piece of paper to the Major who told her to enjoy the event tonight.

"You're in for a surprise, Tara," said Dr. Weir as Tara gave a little smile once Major Davis left the room.

It was thirty minutes later that a car dropped Major Sheppard, Dr. Weir, Dr. Beckett, and Mackay in front of a door at the side of the White House. It was Major Sheppard who got out of the car first before he helped Dr. Weir, and then Tara out while Mackay left the car complaining that he was feeling stuffed in the suit he was wearing. Dr. Beckett and Major Sheppard rolled their eyes while Tara told him that he looked very handsome in the suit.

"Really?" said Mackay as he looked at Tara, and then at Dr. Weir.

"Yes," replied Tara while the scientist proudly adjusted his tie while Dr. Beckett shook his head chucking. It was Dr. Beckett who walked with Mackay and Dr. Weir into the White House, with Tara and Major Sheppard walking into the building together. Tara looked around at the interior with fascination on her face before leaning sideways and telling her brother that she always wanted to see the inside of the White House.

"I wanted to come here and go on the tour," said Tara as she looked at a painting, "but my mom died.. I mean she was diagnosed with cancer so.. I mean she wanted to come too but daddy would say that it's a waste of time. I mean the man who I thought was my real dad, would say that."

The two of them then continued to walk past guards. All the while Tara looked at more paintings while she and the Major headed towards a pair of double doors. They walked through the doors and into another hallway. They continued to walk behind Dr. Beckett, Dr. Weir, and Mackay as they headed into yet another hallway that seemed to have more security. Tara saw one of the guards open a door for her before she looked back to see Major Sheppard nodding back at her.

The siblings then walked past the guards and through the doors, finding themselves in a fairly large room. Tara stared in amazement as she stared at the lectern with the presidential seal on a small stage in front of several round tables, she saw the balloons and streamers on the walls of the room, she heard the buzz of people talking among themselves. She saw people from the Air Force in their dress blues, as well as civilians in their suits and dresses, some of which were so fancy that it made Tara feel as if she was under-dressed. Shaking her head off those thoughts, she felt the Major squeezing her hand gently.

She looked at the man who then nodded his head upwards. Tara then looked straight ahead before lifting her head upwards. Her eyes opened much wider than before at reading the banner hanging over the lectern; a banner that read, 'A Farewell Night to the Atlantis Expedition.'

"John," gasped Tara as she looked at her brother with surprise, "What... What do you mean by Atlantis?"

"The Lost City of the Ancients," said Major Sheppard as Tara's mouth dropped, "the city they used to escape this galaxy from the plague. We found out about it two years ago, we only found the Stargate address a year later."

"John?" said Tara as she looked at everyone in the room, and then at the Major again.

"Full disclosure, Tara," said the Major, "you'll hear everything you need to know right now."

TBC.

 


	31. Chapter 31

**White House, 2130 hours.**

Tara looked at the banner that was hanging over the lectern once again, and then at the Major whose arm she was holding on to while she repeated what he just told her in her mind; that this Atlantis was the Lost City of the Ancients, the same city that took those early aliens away to another galaxy. it was all this city called Atlantis. However, the main thought going through Tara's mind was if this was the Atlantis of Earth legend, the story of the city that sunk under the waves of the ocean.

"Jo... John," said Tara as she looked at her brother, "is... is..."

"It's the same Atlantis you heard about," said Major Sheppard; Tara's eyes widening in surprise while he gently guided her to one of the tables near the front of the room, near the stage, "it's the same Atlantis that all those legends were written about. Two years ago, there was an attempted invasion of this planet by a Goa'uld called Anubis."

"Anubis?" asked Tara as she was guided to a seat next to Dr. Weir who looked up at the Major and Tara, "the Egyptian god of Death?"

"Yes," replied Dr. Weir just as Tara sat down next to her, with the Major sitting next to the blonde witch; and then Mackay sitting next to Major Sheppard while he was looking at a small tablet in his hand.

"Put that away, Mackay," said Major Sheppard pointing at the device in the scientist's hand before he looked at the stunned look on his sister while Dr. Weir was telling Tara that she used to be the SGC's Commander when there was an attack on the planet led by Anubis. Dr. Weir told Tara that an ally had given them intelligence that Anubis was coming with his entire fleet of forty ships to attack Earth.

"SG-1, our front line team was sent to find a way to beat Anubis back," said Dr. Weir, "remember General O'Neill?"

"Uh huh?" Tara replied.

"He was the leader of SG-1," said Dr. Weir, "he did something.. something that would get us information to find the Lost City."

"Atlantis?" asked Tara as she leaned towards Dr. Weir.

"Yes," said Mackay as he continued to work on his tablet while Major Sheppard just frowned at him, before Dr. Beckett sat next to the scientist, "but they found something else."

"They found a power source, a very powerful source of energy that the Ancients created," said Dr. Weir as Tara looked at her, "General O'Neill then took the team from the planet he led them, and back to Earth where they believed Atlantis was located... but all they found was an outpost in Antarctica. The public never knew about the attacks that hit Antarctica because it was explained away as meteor strikes, but one of Anubis' ships actually destroyed an entire fleet of United States Navy ships in the ocean.. all to see if we had any advanced weapons. When the General got back, he used the power source and activated a very powerful weapon system."

"You were there?" asked Tara as she looked at Major Sheppard who shook his head, telling the young woman that he had no idea about what was going on until three weeks before leaving for the Lost City.

"Oh," said Tara as she looked back at Dr. Weir again.

"I was there when news came through from NASA, NORAD, and our probes that the weapons tore apart Anubis' fleet," said Dr. Weir, "we may not have found Atlantis, but we found something even greater. A way to defend this planet, and an Ancient database. From that database, Dr. Jackson found the Stargate address for Atlantis."

"You said that Atlantis was sent to another galaxy and... oh," said Tara and she looked at Major Sheppard, Dr. Beckett, MacKay, and then at Dr. Weir again, "you weren't lost on Earth, you weren't even lost in this galaxy?"

"We were in the Pegasus Galaxy," said Dr. Weir as Tara closed her eyes and tried to make sense of it all.

Sighing when he looked at Tara, and guessed that she was trying to think about how far they were away from home, MacKay spoke up and told her that they were about three million light years away. And no hope of getting home.

"We had no power to get back," said Dr. Weir, "the power source, we call it a ZPM, a Zero Point Module, on Earth was depleted. And the ones in Atlantis were also depleted since it was powering a shield to hold back the ocean."

"So it really did sink to the bottom of an ocean," said Tara as Dr. Beckett nodded his head.

"Just not here," said Dr. Weir.

"Mackay thinks that some of the surviving Ancients who made it back to Earth ten thousand years ago spread the story of Atlantis, and that some spread it to the Ancient Greeks.. who then spread it to more, and more people" said Major Sheppard.

"That's the only explanation," said Mackay, "and then when we get back to the City, I'm going to run a search in the database for anything the Ancients may have encountered on Earth that resemble demons."

"We know that the Asgard encountered demons after the Ancients left for Earth," said Dr. Weir while Tara held Major Sheppard's hand tightly while looking at him in worry. She knew that it was one thing getting lost on Earth... and that it was quite something else getting lost through the Stargate networks in the Milky Way Galaxy.

'But being stuck in another galaxy,' thought Tara to herself, 'I can't even imagine that; I can't even imagine what I'd do... much less what John would do.'

"Did you meet people?" asked Tara as she looked at everyone, "I mean in Pegasus? Have you.. I mean.. encountered other races?"

"The first people we met were the Athosians," said Dr. Weir, "some of them are living in the city itself, others are staying on the mainland on the planet the Ancient's called Lantea. In fact, one of the Athosians, a woman named Teyla Emmagen is in charge of the city while we're away. We met the Genii, and many others."

"Also made some enemies, and other friends too," said Major Sheppard while Dr. Becket and the others just shivered. It was Tara who noticed the others shivering in fear, a great deal of fear, as she wondered what they could have experienced. Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Mackay mumbled something while he was putting away his tablet

"Kirk?" asked Tara as she looked at MacKay, and then at the Major who looked back at Tara nervously, "he called you Kirk, John. Would that be James T. Kirk? From Star Trek?"

"I'm not like Kirk," said the Major as he looked at Dr. Weir, and then the others before finally looking at Tara, "I'm really not."

"Oh please," said MacKay while Tara continued to look at the Major with an eyebrow raised, "how about Chaya?"

"The Council woman on '848?"

"Then there was '635?" said Dr. Weir, "the two village elders from two different villages?"

"We needed supplies," said the Major as he looked at Tara, "I swear. MacKay was as charming as a wall... and we were about to leave without making any trade. So I had to turn on the charm and.. well..."

"They asked you to stay for dinner," said Mackay.

"It's not my fault that they found me more charming than you," said Major Sheppard as Tara started to giggle as she looked at the smile forming on Dr. Weir's face, while Dr. Becket was just shaking his head.

"Oh," said Tara excitedly as she clapped her hands and looked at the others, "John may have another date."

"I might?" asked the confused Major, who looked at Tara with suspicion on his face while the blonde witch grinned, "and who would this be?"

"I said 'may'," replied Tara, "short, blonde, kinda embarrassed herself earlier today?"

"I wasn't asking her on a date," said the Major while Tara chuckled at her brother's expression, with Mackay mumbling under his breath that Major Sheppard really was Kirk.

"I'm just playing with you," said Tara as she patted the Major's arm before she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was just then when a familiar man approached Tara's table. At first, Tara was slightly spooked by looking at the man who stood on the other end of the table.. his eyes apologetic while the Major stood up and nodded at the bald man who nodded back at him, and t hen spoke towards Tara.

"Miss Sheppard," said Colonel Caldwell, "I don't mean to frighten you again, but I just wanted to apologize for what happened aboard the Daedalus. The host to a Goa'uld is aware of what is going on around them, and I am painfully aware of what happened in board my ship.""

"John and Dr. Weir told me that.. that the host isn't responsible for their actions when a Goa'uld takes over their body, Colonel," said Tara as she stood up with a smile, "I.. I don't blame you, and there's no need for an apology since it wasn't you."

"You still have my apology," said the Colonel as he nodded his head, before he looked at the others, and then looked at Tara again, "I hope you enjoy the rest of the night; and again... thank you. You saved the lives of a lot of people, and you saved mine... I'm grateful."

"Be safe, Colonel," said Tara as Colonel Caldwell nodded his head before smiling at the others and then headed back to another table that had more officers seated down.

"He's different than the one we knew," said Mackay after the Colonel left the table.

"He was a bit off since he was under the Goa'uld control," said Dr. Weir as she recalled the differences in attitude between the man who saved them during the Siege of Atlantis, and the man who was debriefed after having the Goa'uld symbiote removed, "and now that it's out of him, he's been given a month's break before retakes command of the Daedalus. The Daedalus will be back in orbit of Earth before it's resupplied again and then heads back to Pegasus."

"You said you're taking the ship to Atlantis," said Tara as she looked at Dr. Weir, "why not just use the Stargate?"

Before anyone could answer, Mackay sighed before giving the witch details of how wormholes worked. He said that matter travels only one way through a wormhole, and since the SGC doesn't have a ZPM to dial the city in Pegasus.. they had to make the eighteen day trip by ship. He did also mentioned that even if anyone couldn't head to Atlantis without a ZPM; the city personnel would be connecting to Earth for sending and receiving status reports, and personal messages even though the connection to send matter through would be only one way.

"Radio signals, electronic transmissions," said Dr. Weir as she looked at Tara, "those go two ways through an open wormhole."

"Good," said Tara as she looked at Major Sheppard with a sigh of relief; she now knew that she'd still be able to send messages to her brother. It was then that she had a thought when she recalled something that she was said about the expedition making an enemy. But before she could ask the Major or any of the others, Tara heard the Presidential march start to play as everyone stood up.

Tara turned to see the President walking through a door, along with three others in uniform, and four others in suits, followed by General O'Neill. She could hear shuffling behind her as Tara glanced around and saw the others taking their seats as the President spoke with General O'Neill, before he walked over to the lectern where there was another man in a suit who, claimed he was for an organization known as the IOA. Tara heard the bald man, a Richard Woolsey, give a small speech before he welcomed the President. Tara looked on as Woolsey then moved to one side before shaking the President's hand before he made it to the lectern.

"It's good to see all of you," said the President after a hush fell over the entire room, everyone's eyes on the leader of the free world, "I'll make sure this won't take too long; I mean this is a party for you folks so it's not nice if I take up all our time."

There were chuckles going around the room as the President shift his weight on another leg, and then spoke into the microphone as he acknowledged the people from the IOA behind him, the Generals, and finally the people who were sitting before him. He then gave a special mention to Dr. Weir for everything she had done to keep everyone safe on Atlantis.

Once the applause for Dr. Weir had died down, the President took a deep breath before he looked out at the crowd.

"It's been almost two years since I found out about the Stargate," said the President as a hush once again fell in the room, "two years since what I first thought was just a joke by my Chief of Staff, instead turned out to be so real in the space of a few weeks. From the mission reports I read, to the attack by Anubis on this planet, then to the finding of the Atlantis Stargate address; I am proud to say that all of you, some of the best and brightest that humanity has to offer not only made me proud; but I swear to God you people have nearly given me two heart attacks."

At that the people in the room laughed while Tara couldn't help but giggle as the president told them that the first instance when he almost got a heart attack was when he got the news that the ZPM was depleted, and there was no way to know if the expedition even survived after leaving for Pegasus. And the second almost heart attack was weeks ago when the SGC received a data burst from the expedition saying that a Wraith armada was on the way.

"The Wraith?" whispered Tara as she leaned in towards Major Sheppard while the President started speaking about the Siege. Tara swathe looked on Major Sheppard's face change as he then looked at Dr. Weir, who nodded her head. Tara then listened in shock while the Major told her a quick rundown of the race that used humans in Pegasus as cattle; that they fed on the very life force that humans require to live. At the end of the Major's quick explanation, Tara stared at the Major and spoke only one word… a word she thought she would never say since it sounded ridiculous, "space vampires?"

"These turn people to husks," said Mackay as the President continued talking.

"I'll tell you more later," said the Major when he noticed the worried look on Tara's face, "we're doing alright, Tara. I promise."

"Despite all of that," said the President as Tara still kept on looking at the Major, before she nodded her head and then looked at the President while she was playing nervously with her fingers, "you survived. I know some of the original expedition couldn't be here with us today, but their memory lives on in those of you heading back to Atlantis to do the same things that made them want to go in the first place; exploration of a new galaxy, to meet new cultures, to gain new technology that could be used in the fight against the Wraith there, and the remainder of the Goa'uld here. The continued survival of the expedition during the year that you were thought lost is, once again, due to the excellent work of Dr. Elizabeth Weir… Dr. Weir?"

Everyone cheered and clapped as the President signalled Dr. Weir to stand up so that she could take in the applause and the cheers from the people around her, including Major Sheppard who whistled while the diplomat's face turned red in embarrassment. The President then motioned for her to come up to the stage where he, and Woolsey, who stood next to him gave the diplomat a medal in a rectangular brown box. Dr. Weir then walked back down to cheers from the expedition before taking her seat as Dr. Beckett patted her in her back, and even Colonel Caldwell approached her and shook her hand.

"There is one more person that we have to recognize today," said the President as another General handed General O'Neill a box before he stood up from his seat and walked over to the President while Woolsey walked past the man. General O'Neill then stood off to the President's left side, "since the loss of Colonel Sumner; this man has been the ranking military leader of Atlantis. He has shown exemplary courage, and heroism ever since the loss of Colonel Sumner, and through to the Wraith's recent siege of the city. Once again, I'm proud to say that he has done an exemplary job of protecting the city, and the members of the expedition under the most difficult of circumstances. In recognition of his heroism, and leadership, I'm proud to announce the promotion of Major John Sheppard, to Lt. Colonel."

"See," said Dr. Beckett leaning forward while the entire room cheered as Major stood up and grinned, "I did say you'll be the leader of the expedition."

"Congratulations, John," said Dr. Weir as Tara stood up and hugged the now Colonel Sheppard tightly. The Colonel nodded at the diplomat, and then tightened his hold on Tara who also whispered congratulations in his ear. The Colonel just nodded his head; he had known about this promotion since General O'Neill had already told him about it on the Asgard vessel.. and he knew that Dr. Weir was aware of it as well since she was the one who wanted him to be the leader of the military contingent, however the others were unaware as Mackay congratulated him as well… as did Colonel Caldwell.

Tara then watched proudly, and with a bit of fear in her heart, as she watched her brother walk up the stairs until he was face to face with the President. She looked on as the General then take off the gold leaves on his dress blue's shoulder before placed silver oak leaves; with Tara reminding herself to ask the Major what the ribbons on his dress blues represented when he got back. The young witch saw the Colonel take his oath before shaking the President's hand, followed by General O'Neill's. She then watched the man walk back down the stairs from the stage as some of who Tara believed were expedition members patted him on the back. The blonde witch hugged him again before they both sat down, and then she looked at the President who took a deep breath.

"All of you know why you're here," said the President as the cheers and the applause died down slowly, "I want each and every one of you to enjoy yourselves before you head for the long journey to Atlantis. Sometimes I wish I could go with all of you; see what's out there, but maybe we'll save that for later if I lose my re-election bid."

Tara smiled as others laughed, while she held on to her brother's hand and the President then looked all around the room at the people before him.

"I bid you all God-Speed," said the President as he nodded his head, "and now? Enjoy yourselves… really."

The President then stepped back from the lectern as music started to play. Tara saw the man turn around and shake the hand of the General's behind him, as well as Woolsey's hand and some of the other suited men. Tara then turned and smiled at the grinning Colonel when suddenly the smile on her face vanished, and she smirked before giving her brother a slap on the arm.

"Hey," said Colonel Sheppard as he rubbed his arm while Dr. Weir was talking to the others at the table, before more people from the expedition were coming by to talk to Dr. Weir, and Colonel Sheppard, "what was that for?"

"You knew?" whispered Tara, "about your promotion."

"Maybe?" said the Colonel sheepishly as Tara shook her head and chuckled.

"Be careful, out there, ok?" asked Tara.

"Of course," said Colonel Sheppard as the party got into full swing.

TBC.

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Reagan National Airport, Washington, D.C; 0925 hours.**

Buffy, and Willow were the first ones off the plane, followed soon by Xander and Dawn who was looking out the window next to her seat with a grin on her face until the plane came to a complete stop. As the four of them walked out of the gate, Dawn held onto Xander's hand while the dark haired young man put one hand in his pocket; all the while, Buffy and Willow were walking behind the two of them. Buffy had gotten assurances from Wesley that they could make it a day without her.. that he, Fred and Lorne would handle anything that comes their way. At first Buffy was reluctant, but it was Wesley.. as well as Giles' prodding that she was convinced to accompany Willow, Xander, and Dawn to Washington, D.C.

"It's a chance that you may not get again, Buffy," said Giles over the phone from England last night while Buffy was still making a decision on whether to go for the trip with her sister or not, "with everything that has happened, you need to take a day for yourself. Wesley's not the watcher you once knew, he can handle himself and he has help from Fred. Besides, you will be going for one day. Take the break, Buffy… enjoy yourself."

"When are you coming back?" Buffy had asked her former Watcher.

"A few days," said Giles, "remember what I said, Buffy. Go to Washington, and enjoy yourself."

And that's what Buffy did.

She told Willow that she'd be accompanying them too; and now in the airport, Buffy looked at her best friend who was reading out loud the various sights in D.C that they just had to go to with Tara and her brother. Buffy gave a small smile as she walked next to the redhead whose nose was buried in the papers she downloaded from the internet while Dawn and Xander where talking about the various things that they'd be doing until they had to leave late in the evening the next day.

"Oh, oh," said Willow as she looked at Buffy while she was jumping on the tips of her toes.

"Easy, Will," chuckled Buffy as she watched her best friend acting excited while pointing at a section in the paper she was holding, "what'cha got?"

Willow excitedly told Buffy about having always wanted to go various places but given her parent's schedules, she was unable to go; at least by herself.

"I think we should go to the memorials first," said Xander as he looked at Dawn, and then turned around and faced Willow and Buffy while he was walking backwards, "call it the soldier memories from Halloween, but I think that's what we need to do first before anything else."

Willow and Buffy nodded their heads before they walked around a corner and Xander turned around again before he slowed down until he was walking next to the both of them. All the while Dawn waved excitedly at Tara who was waiting a few feet away with Colonel Sheppard.

"Tara!" said Dawn as she run towards the blonde before giving her a tight hug, followed by letting go and then moving on to Colonel Sheppard who was in his dress blues.

"Hey Dawn," said the Colonel before looking up at Buffy, Willow, and Xander, "hey folks, nice flight?"

"A bit bumpy," said Xander, "but not bad."

"Oh, oh," said Tara excitedly as she hugged Willow before the both of them separated. Tara then looked at her brother, and then at the Scoobies before telling them about her brother's promotion.

"Neat," said Dawn as she stepped back and grinned, "what're you now?"

"Lt. Colonel," said Xander pointing at the new Oak Leaves as Colonel Sheppard nodded his head, "congrats."

"Thanks," said the Colonel as Willow gave him a hug. The redhead then broke the hug and stepped towards Tara and, as she wasn't sure if it would be a good thing to be open with her girlfriend, Willow just placed a hand on the blonde witch's lower back while the Colonel said, "I'm sure there are a lot of things you wanna see and do; so how about we get your bags, and then we begin. You guys know where you wanna go?"

"Xander suggested the memorials," said Dawn as Colonel Sheppard looked back at the young man who told him that it was the soldier in him that wanted to pay his respects before they went on with the day. The Colonel nodded his head just before they collected their bags, and then headed to the parking lot where the Colonel had parked an SUV. After putting the bags in the rear of the vehicle, everyone got in before the Colonel said that they'd be dropping off the bags at the hotel before freshening up and then leaving again.

"I know you guys have your own plans," said the Colonel who was sitting next to Xander in the front seat while Willow sat next to Tara in the rear, along with Buffy who was sitting next to Dawn, "but before that, there's some place we need to head to first."

"Ok," said Buffy as the Colonel drove the SUV towards the hotel, the same hotel that he and Tara had been staying since last night. Colonel Sheppard still had his room until the next day which was when he was due to leave Earth for Atlantis while Tara had her room from last night; the Colonel had booked the room right next to his sister's for Buffy, Willow, and Dawn. In the meantime, Xander would be staying in a separate room on the same floor as the rest of the girls.

Once the bags were put into the rooms, and the girls and Xander had freshened up; Colonel Sheppard and the others left the hotel once again just before ten thirty in the morning. It was Dawn who asked where they were heading to while the Colonel moved from one street to another.

"John managed to get a favour last night," said Tara who was holding Willow's hand while they were in the car. The redhead had talked to Tara when they were freshening up in the rooms about what she thought others may think if he was seen being intimate with her brother's sister. Before Tara could say anything, Willow said that she'd take it easy in public while they were with the Colonel, but in private it would be a different story.

"Or when he's not with us," said Tara with a knowing look on her face as she smiled at Willow just before they left the rooms; rooms that the young women decided would be best if Willow and Tara shared the latter's room, and Dawn could take the other room with Buffy.

Back in the present, Willow was looking at Tara wondering what she meant when she said 'or when he's not with us' back in the room. She knew that Tara knew something, but decided in holding off on asking what it was until later.

"Favour?" asked Xander, the question bringing Willow out of her thoughts as Buffy and Dawn leaned forwards to listen in closely.

"Yeah," said the Colonel, "that'll be later; for now? I hope you don't mind but there's a special tour of the White House for you guys."

"Neat," said Dawn excitedly while Buffy and Willow looked at each other, before the both of them looked at Tara who shrugged her shoulders while trying to hide a smile. Dawn didn't see the looked at the others were sharing with Tara; instead she leaned forward and said that she wanted to go but thought that it was too late to get tickets.

"Nope," said Tara with a smile whole she smiled at Buffy and Willow.

It was a few minutes later that the SUV reached a gate where the Colonel handed his I.D and some papers to the guard. The guard looked over the I.D, and then at the papers while other guards were using dogs to check out the SUV. Eventually after ten minutes, the SUV was waved through the gate; and a few minutes later the vehicle was at a closed door inside the complex. The Colonel then ordered everyone out as the door to the rear door of the building opened and an older man in a suit walked out and welcomed the group to the White House.

"You know where we need to be, right?" asked the Colonel as he looked at the man.

"Yes, Colonel," he replied as he led the Scoobies into the White House, the Colonel closing the door behind him as they entered a hallway. The suited man then started to speak about the history of the White House while Dawn was interrupting him every so often with numerous questions. The Colonel saw Willow and Tara looking at whatever was in the rooms that the man was leading them into as part of the tour while Xander and Buffy were chuckling at some of the paintings. Eventually, the group had been through several rooms before they entered another hallway where they were headed towards the White House gardens.

It was the first time in several months after she was torn away from heaven that Buffy had given a genuine smile as she took in the scent of roses as the Scoobies were given a tour of the rose garden. The Scoobies had seen other visitors as well, but their guide had told them that many of the rooms they had seen were out of bounds to the public since they contained items of historical value.

It was something that excited Dawn especially as she thought about how jealous Giles would be.

As the other Scoobies walked on behind the guide, Buffy remained crouched with her nose over the roses as she closed her eyes and took in the calmness of her surroundings. She thought to herself that given what happened over the past many weeks; with the attempt on her life, the possible attempt on Tara and Willow, the attack by Warren, then Rack's attack on Willow and Tara, the bombing, and the attempted rape by Spike… Buffy knew that she was heading in a downward spiral especially since she felt off in many other ways following her return from what she believed was heaven.

It was something that she had told Tara; the others didn't know. As she smelled the flowers, Buffy wondered if Tara didn't really do this for her.

All so that the blonde Slayer would relax, and know that there were others she could talk to about what happened.

The smell of the fresh roses gave Buffy's body a warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time; she thought of Joyce, the moments of laughter that she would share with her mother and Dawn, she remembered the good times with the Scoobies when there wasn't an apocalypse every other week.

She remembered Heaven.

"Buffy!"

The Slayer was brought out of her thoughts as she looked at Dawn a few feet from her waving, before motioning for her to follow them. She saw Colonel Sheppard looking back at her before he turned and said something to Dawn, and then to the guide. She saw Dawn nodding her head before she looked at Buffy with a hint of jealousy on her face, followed soon by Dawn sticking her tongue out at Buffy while Xander seemed to chuckle and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder before they continued walking, with Willow and Tara looking back at the Slayer while continuing on.

Buffy saw the Colonel walking towards her, and she slowly got onto her feet while looking at the roses.

"Hey," said the Colonel, "you alright?"

"Just smelling the roses," said Buffy as she looked at the red coloured flowers before turning towards the Colonel, and then looking all around her, "I guess it just feels… I mean it feels calm here."

"Supposed to be," said the Colonel as Buffy looked at him again as he nodded towards the direction the other Scoobies had walked off. As they walked slowly on the footpath, the scent of the various roses wafting into their nostrils, Buffy sighed before shaking her head; it was something the Colonel noticed before speaking up, "I've seen that look before, you know."

"What look?" asked Buffy as they continued to walk.

"Like you're missing something," said Buffy as she put her hands into her pockets, "like you've lost something or someone important and you'll do anything to get them back. I've had the same things happen to me.. I mean it's not like beating vampires and demons. More like losing someone I couldn't save.. I mean at least that's what happened to me."

"I've taken so many hits it's not even funny," said Buffy as they walked slowly down the walkway.

"Starting with your mom," said the Colonel recalling what Dawn, and later Buffy, had told him through emails about the loss of their mother. He knew that Buffy didn't want to talk about it, and he was surprised when he read in Dawn's emails details on what happened, and that Buffy sometimes would have nightmares, waking up late at night with a small scream. It was something that Buffy denied at first during their regular emails to each other, but eventually she did talk about her mother.. and then she told the Colonel about Glory.

"It's more than just my mom," said Buffy as she stopped and looked at the Colonel, "remember what I told you about Glory?"

"You said that she was a god, a real honest to goodness god who wanted to end the world," said the Colonel nodding his head, "and you nearly lost your life in trying to beat her. Which you did… I mean you guys fought, and defeated her without the military being involved. Which is kinda amazing when you think about it, and…"

"I died," said Buffy as the Colonel stopped mid-sentence, and Buffy started walking again.

"You did what now?" asked the Colonel as he walked up to the blonde, "Buffy?"

"We beat Glory," said Buffy as she stopped again, as did the Colonel; both looking at each other, "but she opened a portal that started to bring hell to Earth… this was literally Hell, John."

"Ok," said the Colonel confused.

"The only way to close the portal was to sacrifice Dawn," said Buffy as the Colonel looked behind him at Dawn who entered another hallway through a door after the guide had shown them the various species of roses. The Colonel then looked at Buffy who then told him that since she and Dawn shared the same blood since they were sisters, it was she who jumped into the portal. Buffy told the surprised Colonel that she was dead for a few months before Willow and the others pulled her back to the land of the living using a very powerful spell… pulled her away from where she was in heaven.

"Oh," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy who started to walk on the footpath with Colonel Sheppard, "heaven?"

"She ascended?' thought the Colonel to herself as they continued to walk slowly toward the other Scoobies, 'she mentioned that she was buried, so her body stayed here.. Ascension means there is no body to.. well, ascend.'

"Yeah, heaven," said Buffy softly, "I… I guess after coming back I.. I feel like it's hell for me. I know it's not.. I mean I have Dawn, Willow, Xander, Tara.. but there's a part of me that's just angry at them and… and I just miss it. Having no worries, no wondering if we'll survive the next demon attack.. or the one after that. After I came back… it's like one thing happening after the other, and I'm just hanging on. I just feel like I'm just going through the motions, you know? Protect Sunnydale, protect Dawn, protect the Scoobies… but I just don't feel."

"Meaning?" asked the Colonel.

"I just couldn't feel… anything," said Buffy, "I.. I don't know how to explain it. It's like I'm here… but a part of me is just shut off. To turn that part on again, I've had to do things… things I'm not proud of, John. I told Tara about this and she's been a great help but… but even then there's part that doesn't feel."

"Have you talked to anyone?' asked the Colonel, "the Council, maybe?"

"Hah," said Buffy shaking her head, "the Council doesn't really care about me.. or any other Slayer. And that's the truth, you can ask Giles or Wesley. The truth is that I'm alone in this.. there's no one to talk to, there's… I mean even with the back-up I could get through Tara, I'm still alone until they get to Sunnydale. We're still alone."

"Before I leave," said the Colonel, "I'll ask my superiors to send some to talk to you… I.. I know it's not the same, but there are a lot of people who've suffered from near-death experiences and.."

"I died, John," said Buffy softly, "for months I was dead. This isn't some near-death thing."

"I get that," said Colonel Sheppard as he faced Buffy and put a hand on both of her shoulders, "either way, it's something you need to talk about. And talking to Tara, Willow, Xander, and even Giles won't help. For our work, we have to see a shrink every six months and get a psych work-up down… we have to talk to a shrink with our problems, and.. and there are a lot of things we talk about which I can't tell you. I'll ask my superiors to send someone for Tara, but in reality they'll be coming to talk to you. I know what you're gonna say, but believe me… they've heard everything. Even I had to talk to someone after returning from where me and my team were lost.. and believe me when I say that we saw things… really horrible things which I can't say."

"But…"

"Just talk, Buffy," said the Colonel, "sometimes it's better to talk to a stranger than it is with family."

Buffy just looked at the Colonel before she frowned and shrugged her shoulders. It was a few minutes later that they met up with the rest of the Scoobies as the guide led them down more hallways while Buffy was walking next to the Colonel when suddenly, Dawn rushed back and grabbed Buffy's hand. She then pulled her sister to a painting, while Xander and Willow was looking at a wall of china in another room. In the meantime, Colonel Sheppard was standing next to Tara who was tightly holding onto the Colonel's hand; she could see that her brother was looking at Buffy, who was looking at a vase now with Dawn and nodding her head at something the young brunette was saying. Tara noticed Buffy glancing back at her brother before she was pulled to the next area by Dawn.

"I was right," said Tara as she grinned at the Colonel, "date. You and Buffy."

"We just talked," said the Colonel as the guide took them to another hallway, "she told me about her death."

"Oh," said Tara as she looked at her brother with surprise, before looking at the floor in embarrassment, "she told you about heaven?"

"Yea," replied Colonel Sheppard, "I.. I'm gonna ask my superiors to send someone to talk to her. Whoever it is will be coming to talk to you, officially.. but unofficially it's for Buffy. But that doesn't mean someone won't be coming to talk to the rest of you."

"As in therapy?" asked Tara while the Colonel nodded his head.

"It'll help," said the Colonel, "trust me."

It was just then that the guide took them to another hallway that had a door at the end. The group entered the hallway, with the guide turning around and nodding at the Colonel who walked past the Scoobies and opened the door at the end of the hallway, a door that was flush with the wall. The Scoobies walked into a room with a large desk, decorations along the walls, the flags of the U.S and the Presidential Seal standing behind the desk, as well as two couches facing each other with a carpet displaying the Presidential Seal in the middle.

"Surprise," said Tara as Willow looked at her, as did Buffy, Dawn, and Xander who looked at the Colonel.. and then they all looked at the room again as the guide closed the door they had just walked through; leaving them alone in the large room.

"You got us a tour in the White House?" said Willow, "and the Oval Office?"

"Not exactly," said the Colonel as another door on the far side of the room opened and a light grey haired man in a suit and tie walked in while looking out the door and telling someone to hold his calls for an hour, that he had guests he needed to talk to. The man then turned and closed the door behind him while carrying a blue file under his arm.

"Oh my word," said Willow as the President smiled at the group in front of him while Colonel Sheppard and, thanks to the memories of the Soldier, Xander saluted the man. The President then put the file down and put his hands into his pockets before walking around his desk and looked at the nervous young women, and the young man in civilian clothes who was saluting him.

"At ease, Colonel.. and..?" asked the President as the Colonel lowered his hand before Willow nervously explained what happened in Halloween to Xander all those years ago. The young redhead continued to babble when Tara stopped her from continuing by laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

"At ease," said the President as he smiled and motioned at Xander who lowered his arm.

The man then walked towards the group as the Colonel stepped forward and introduced Buffy and the others.

"Ah yes, Miss Summers," said the President as he reached out his hand, which Buffy nervously took with trembling hands before she started to giggle nervously; it was something that caused the President to chuckle, "the Vampire Slayer; Miss Sheppard's told me a lot about you last night."

"Last night?" asked Dawn as she looked at Tara before her eyes went wide open, "oh… the special thing you had.."

"Yeah," said the blonde witch as she glanced over at Willow who just had a grin plastered in her face, as did Xander.

"A lot… a lot… I mean… ummmm.." said Buffy before she shook her head and calmed down, 'I'm shaking the President's hand! Crap, I'm shaking the President's hand!"

"Miss Summers?" asked the President.

"Buffy?" asked Xander as he nudged the blonde who was just staring at the President while her mouth remained wide open, and her head was nodding.

"Buffy?" asked Willow as she gently pushed the blonde's shoulder; and it was that which brought the Slayer out of it.

"Sorry, Henry… I mean, President, I mean.. Mr. President, I mean… nice to meet you, Mr. President," said Buffy as she tried to calm her nerves.

"You can kill vampires just like that," said Dawn as she smirked at Buffy while snapping her fingers, "but now you get the wiggin's?"

"Dawn," said Buffy as she looked at her sister while giving her the evil eye. Buffy then looked at the President again and apologized.

"It's alright," said the President before she shook the hands of Xander, Willow, and then Dawn, "I've heard good things about all of you; all from Miss Sheppard."

"Everything you heard, is true," said Dawn nodding her head.

"Except for the bad parts… umm… sir," said Xander going back to his soldier mode, "Ummm… yeah…"

"Preventing numerous apocalypses," said the President as he stepped back, "keeping the vampires and monsters at bay, I'd say all of you are doing a damn good job. Miss Rosenberg's a witch, Mr. Harris is the jack of all trades.. someone reliable to have by your side, and your sister who I hear is the one who helps keep you grounded."

"She keeps me grounded?" asked Buffy as she looked at Dawn who stuck her tongue out at Buffy.

"She does, Buffy," said Tara.

"Miss Summers," said the President, "the reason that you're here is twofold. One, I wanted to thank you and your friends. Officially I can't have contact with you without the knowledge of the Watchers Council. And secondly, I know you want to go off and enjoy the rest of your day.. but I'd like to hear from you and your friends about the threats you face. The Council's not very forthcoming about what a Slayer does, I mean yes there is the Slaying… but I'd like to know everything you could tell me. You and your friends."

"What.. what.. what would you like to know," said Buffy still in disbelief as she looked at the President and then at Tara, and then at Colonel Sheppard before the uniformed man led the Slayer, and the others to take their seat on the two couches while the President sat in a wooden chair in the middle of the two groups.

He then listened with intent as Buffy, and the others told the President their story.

TBC.

 


	33. Chapter 33

**White House, 1230 hours.**

It had been over an hour of back and forth between the Scooby's and the President as they told the leader of the free world about everything they had been through, the Slayer even being urged by Dawn to talk about what happened after Glory. The President listened in surprise when Buffy told him about her death, and it was Colonel Sheppard who confirmed that he had heard the same thing from the young woman. The President then looked at Buffy and told her that while he can't officially recognize what she and the others have done in saving the world since it would tip off the Council; she and the others were heroes in his mind.

"You have done a great job with little to no resources," said the President as he shook the hand of the red-faced young woman, "you and your friends all have performed things that are unbelievable, and you have my gratitude. I just hope that when the time comes, the Council does help you. In either event, the Air Force has already been authorized to send aid to Miss Sheppard in the event she calls for it."

"John already told us," said Buffy as Willow and Xander nodded their heads.

"Good," said the President as he nodded at the Colonel before he looked at Xander who made a gulping sound when he found that both the President and the Colonel were looking at him. He knew that they wanted to talk to him about the revelations he made about breaking into an army base to steal two RPG launchers in their battle against the demon known as the Judge. He stood at attention when the President walked towards him while Buffy and the others just looked on at the nervous look on the young man's face, "young man, you do realize what you did is a crime? Breaking into the Sunnydale Army Base, stealing two RPG's; are you aware of the charges that could be filed against you as a civilian who broke into a secured area?"

"Yes, sir," said Xander.

Buffy and Dawn were about to say something in defence of Xander when the Colonel put his hand on their shoulders and shook his head.

"Actions have consequences, Buffy," whispered the Colonel as the President looked at Xander, whose soldier training had taken over again, with a critical eye.

"Colonel Sheppard," said the President as he continued to look at Xander.

"Sir," said the man as he patted Buffy and Dawn on their shoulders before walking past them toward the President.

"In your opinion," said the President, "what do you think should happen to Mr. Harris?"

"Well, sir," said the Colonel as Willow looked on concerned, at least until she noticed the small smile on Tara's face from the corner of her eyes. Willow looked at Tara, who looked back at her with a grin on her face before the redhead looked at the three men again, "given that they had no backup, and they were being faced with a threat what, if left on its own, could have not only taken over and killed the human population of Sunnydale, it could have also taken over and killed millions more since nothing forged could take this Judge character down. In addition to all of that, given that Buffy and the others couldn't get help from the Council in time, and the fact that the military would have thought they were insane and probably would have had them put in the loony bin… well, at least until the bodies piled up; I'd say that Xander had no choice but to do what he did."

"Recommendations?" asked the President.

"He's already training at the Army base, sir," said the Colonel, "I'd recommend that no charges be brought up. As long as the other RPG launcher is returned, of course."

"Mr. Harris?" asked the President as he narrowed his eyes at the young man, "you will return the second RPG you stole to an officer who will collect it from you in a few days. I assume that Colonel Sheppard will make the arrangements before he's due to leave on his extended mission?"

"Yes, sir," said the Colonel nodded his head.

"Very well then," said the President as he patted Xander's shoulder, "at ease, son. Take it easy. All of you did what you had to do at that precise moment in time. Just don't let something like that happen again."

"Got it, sir," said Xander.

"Miss Sheppard," said the President as he looked at Tara, "all you have to do is call, and you'll get what you need from the Army Base."

"I know," said Tara as she smiled and nodded her head at the President.

"Good," said the man as he rubbed his hands together, "I take it all of you have your plans for the day, so I'm not going to keep you away from them. I just want to say that I thank each and every one of you for what you've done to prevent one apocalypse after another, and please give my thanks to Mr. Giles as well."

"I will," said Buffy as the others nodded their head.

It was a few minutes of hand shaking later that the group, led by Colonel Sheppard, walked out of the Oval Office through the same way they had initially come in. Buffy was walking behind the group, with Dawn talking excitedly with Xander and a relieved Willow who was walking arm in arm with the young man, and Tara walking with her brother. The Slayer was giving herself a small smile as she realized what just happened, she was given a thank you in recognition for what she's sacrificed so far…. They've been given thanks to everything that they had been through.

'The Council just sees me as a weapon,' thought Buffy to herself as they walked by the rose garden again, 'they said that this is my job… what I was called to do. But it really does feel good to know that what we've done… what we've done brings people a sense of peace and thanks. I know I've always said that I don't do it for the glory, that Slayers do what they're called to do… like the Council party line; but the fact is that having someone affirm the things I've done actually make me feel... feel right that I actually did it. That I actually did the right things. I'm alive, Dawn, Willow, Xander; we're alive. Anya, I wish you were here to see Xander's face when he found out that nothing was gonna happen."

"Buffy?" asked Willow as she, Xander, and Dawn looked behind them, "you alright?"

"Yea," smiled Buffy as she looked at the three, and then at Tara and the Colonel as they walked ahead while talking to one another; the young blonde witch wrapping her arm around his and leaning her head on his shoulder. Buffy then looked at Willow, Dawn, and Xander again and told them that she was feeling alive again.

"But you are alive," said Xander as he placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Yea," said Buffy as she looked at Tara, and the Colonel, before looking at Willow, Xander, and then Dawn.

It was a few minutes later that they existed the White House and were walking towards the waiting SUV when the colonel stopped and told them the favour he had received from General O'Neill.

"I know you guys have a lot of plans," said the Colonel as he looked at the Scooby's before setting his eyes on Dawn, "but I did promise someone here a ride in a fighter."

"No way," said Dawn as she jumped up and down excitedly while Buffy shook her head as she looked at her sister, "no way, no way, no way."

"Buffy?" asked the Colonel, "I still need your permission though, since she's a minor."

"Are you taking her up personally? What are you flying? And will she be safe?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Colonel.

"I can take her up, we'll be flying an experimental state-of-the-art fighter that hasn't even seen production yet, and she'll be safe," said the Colonel as Tara opened the passenger side door, took some paperwork out of the glove box and then walked around the SUV to hand the papers to the Colonel before handing them to Buffy while Dawn looked on excitedly, "they're just papers saying that Dawn can't tell anyone about what she'll see today. She can't even tell you, I mean she can talk about the flight and everything, but nothing specific about the plane itself. You're her legal guardian so… it needs your say-so too."

"You can promise me she'll be safe?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Colonel again.

"Yea," came the reply.

Buffy read through the documents before looking at the pleading face of her sister. She then sighed and asked Dawn to turn around before she placed the paper on her back and signed the document The Colonel then pointed to a section for Dawn to sign, which she did before she cheered, and then hugged Buffy thanking her profusely before she ran into the SUV saying that they needed to go, and not waste any time.

"Come on," said the Colonel, "I'll drop you guys off at the Mall, and then Dawn and I will head for Andrews."

"Look after her, John," said Buffy as she looked at the Major, "or else."

"When she gets like that?" said Xander as he pointed at the raised eyebrows on Buffy's face, "that kind of means if anything happens to Dawn, you get beat with a shovel."

"Oh," said the Colonel as he grimaced.

"Or you could take Buffy with you," said Willow as she passed the Major and patted his shoulder, "you know, like not a date, date."

"Willow," said Dawn, Buffy, and the Colonel together as they looked at the grinning redhead, and then at Tara who winked before they got into the SUV.

"Tara?" asked the Colonel as he looked at his grinning sister who was looking at him while pulling up the window to the SUV, "Tara?"

"Can someone take her up too?" asked Xander as she put a hand on Buffy's shoulder, "I mean, she and Dawn have been through hell... and if anyone deserves to get a ride up there into the sky? It's the Buffster."

"I don't..." said Buffy as the Colonel interrupted her.

"She's got clearance thanks to her thing with the Initiative," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, and then at Xander, and Buffy again before saying, "I can talk to my boss. I'm not sure how many of those experimental planes we have in that base."

The truth was that the Colonel did know there were five F-302's stationed at Andrews Air Force base which was supposed to be taking off for their final journey to Peterson's Air Base as part of Earth Defence. He knew that one of them had its hyperdrive generator and its inertial dampeners deactivated and locked out for the flight with Dawn, so he didn't know if there was anything anyone could do on such short notice for another plane.

'Or I could always take the same one up twice,' thought the Colonel to himself as he called General Landry before leading them to the car. Xander was the last to get into the SUV as he opened the door to the front passenger side when a gust of wind suddenly brushed past his cheeks. Confused with one leg already into the vehicle while the Colonel was talking on the phone, Xander looked out towards the wide lawn ahead of him... and looked around.

"Xander?" asked Tara when she noticed the confused look on his face, "everything alright?"

Xander didn't know if everything was alright; he had just felt fingers brush against his cheek as another breeze went past him, along with a familiar voice whispering into his ears.

"From beneath you," said Anya's voice as Xander closed his eyes and shook his head, brushing off what he just heard as his imagination. Xander then got into the vehicle and closed the door while the Colonel put down the phone and looked at the rear-view mirror at Buffy before telling her that another officer would be taking her up… however the trip would only last for a quick fifteen minutes since those planes would have to continue their tests; this time by flying all the way to Colorado and then back again.

Xander and the others nodded their heads while the young man looked out the window wondering where the voice came from. As the SUV left the compound, a figure in a white cloak and dress made herself visible while she watched the SUV drive off. The figure in white smiled at the departing SUV as she barely had a glimpse of the young man sitting in the front seat of the car; the young man she'd see training at the Army base while sighing at his body covered in sweat, the same young man she would be occasionally walking in on while he was taking a shower and commenting on his physique even though he couldn't hear her, the same young man she'd next to when he'd be asleep and just lay down next to even if he couldn't sense that she was there.

She then looked up at the sky and frowned when she heard a rumbling in the distance despite there being no clouds in the sky. Shaking her head as she looked down, and at the SUV that just drove out of the gate… the figure, an ascended Anya, then vanished.

**Colonel Sheppard's Room, Hotel, 0200 hours.**

Colonel Sheppard had to admit that the day he spent with Tara and the others were fun as he leaned on the railings of the balcony right outside his room and looked out at the lights of the city in the distance. He had a small glass of pop in his hand as he took a sip and then sighed. He was glad that Dawn had enjoyed the flight in the 302 with him, and he recalled Buffy screaming in joy over the radio as Captain Jennifer Hailey took her up as her second seat. The two planes were performing aerial stunts as the screams continued until the two planes landed; before taking off, both the Colonel and Hailey had told Buffy and Dawn that the experimental planes could go higher than any jet before them… and that what they were about to see was top secret.

He remembered taking the two excited sisters back to the SUV as they talked about the flight, particularly the simulated dog fights they had just done for the last five minutes of being in the air. The Colonel thanked Hailey for helping out while Buffy and Dawn went to the lockers to change into their civilian clothes. Once they had changed into their civilian clothes, the two of them thanked Hailey before they followed the Colonel back to the SUV, and then headed to meet up with Xander and the others.

The rest of the day was spent exploring with Dawn showing Xander with her hands of how they flew in the air while Willow wrapped her arm around Buffy's as they whispered… the blonde Slayer eventually slapping the redhead's arm playfully before they broke out in laughter. All the while Tara was walking with the Colonel the whole time since he got back from the Air Force base.

Back in the present, the Major took a sip off his drink before he turned around to hear a knock at his door. Wondering who it could be since Tara had hinted that she and Willow were going to be busy for a little while; with the Colonel waving his hands while Willow giggled as he told them that he didn't need to know the details. He just hugged his sister tightly, before whispering that he'll see her and the others tomorrow, that they needed to get some rest. He knew that Buffy was supposed to be with Dawn and Xander playing some board games in the latter's room while the Colonel himself was supposed to be getting some sleep. Colonel Sheppard knew that Xander and the others should be asleep by now, especially since Tara called him via the hotel phone and told him that they were heading for bed and that they'll see each other again for breakfast.

It didn't take too long for the Colonel to find out who was at his door at this early in the morning.

"Buffy?" asked the surprised Colonel when he looked at the blonde Slayer wearing a pair of blue jeans, and a red blouse, "what are you doing this late? I thought you went to bed?"

"I just did a bit of patrolling, nothing much here so I came back early… I guess Giles was right; vampires hate D.C," said Buffy as the Colonel nodded his head before asking her if she wanted to come in. The Slayer shook her head, telling Colonel Sheppard that she needed to get back to her room or else Dawn would get worried, "she has this uncanny ability to know that I'm not somewhere when I'm supposed to be… it's freaky."

"Ok," said the Colonel as Buffy nodded her head before she was about to walk away when she suddenly stopped, and then looked at the Colonel once again.

"Thanks, you know… for today... I mean yesterday," said Buffy, "you made Dawn's day; you also made Willow really happy. She told me that she talked to you about… her stuff."

"Yeah," said Colonel Sheppard who was leaning on the door frame while talking to the Slayer.

"Xander was hell'a worried about that whole thing with the Judge, and he's been excited about the whole meeting the president thing," said Buffy, "Cool thing, by the way."

"Thanks," said the Colonel with a grin.

"I've never seen Tara this happy," said Buffy as she looked at the Colonel, "thanks for everything you did for her."

"She's my sister," said the Colonel, "and you're her friends."

"Thanks again," said Buffy again as the Colonel nodded his head.

"You said everyone else was happy," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, "how about you?"

"I'm getting there over time, I think," said Buffy, "I don't know if I'll truly be happy and… and well, I've done a lot of stupid stuff. I've had a lot of stupid… stuff… well, happen to me. Anyway, I think that's gonna elude me for a bit."

"If you need to talk," said the Colonel as he shrugged his shoulders while the Slayer nodded her head.

"It may take some time," said the Slayer as Colonel Sheppard nodded his head. Buffy stepped forward and gave the Colonel a kiss on his cheek. The surprised Colonel then looked at the brown eyes that were looking back at him before he looked at Buffy's lips, and then at her eyes once again before she spoke nervously, "I... I should go."

"Yeah," said the Colonel as Buffy took a step back after the kiss and then hurriedly turned to her left and walked hurriedly away, "me... me too."

The Colonel saw Buffy go into a run before he stepped back and closed the door. He then turned, leaned against it, and sighed.

"Yeah," said the Colonel to himself while shaking his head as he thought about what MacKay kept on telling him, "I'm Kirk."

**TBC**

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Lt. Colonel Sheppard's hotel room, 0205 hours.**

The Colonel had just closed his room door before leaning on it and telling himself that he was indeed 'Kirk', just as Mackay would always describe him. He shook his head as he headed towards the table so that he could put down the glass of pop he was holding before getting into bed and trying to sleep. However, just as he reached the table and was about to take off his shirt and his trousers, there was another knock on his door.

Wondering who it could be now, the man patted down the shirt he had on and walked over to the door, and then opened it.

Only to find Buffy standing there.

Again.

"Buffy?" asked the Colonel as he looked at her with a confused look on his face, "you ok?"

"That kiss meant nothing," said Buffy as she waved her arms while the Colonel raised his eyes at the young woman while he recalled her just walking away earlier, "I mean it was just a thank you for what you did for me and Dawn, and what you're doing for Tara, and for helping Xander, and being cool with Willow. Look, I've dated an Army guy who was involved in some secret stuff, and we all got screwed by that secret stuff and…."

"Ok," said the Major as Buffy was about to open her mouth again, but the he interrupted her before leaning forward and peeking his head out into the hallway. He then looked around before looking at Buffy again, "Buffy, do you want to come in and talk?"

"No, I…"

"That's what you said a minute ago and here you are again," said the Major while Buffy grimaced, "I've got some pop, and you can sit down and we can talk. Something's obviously up and I'm guessing that if Dawn doesn't find you, she'll call Willow and Tara, who'll call Xander, who'll call me. So just come in take a seat and we'll talk."

"I.. I should go," said Buffy as she was about to turn with a look on her face that was giving off a feeling of, 'what the hell am I doing?'

"You gonna come back in another minute?" asked the Colonel as Buffy sighed and closed her eyes before shaking her head. She the took a step past the threshold and walked into the Colonel's room. He led her to the table where he asked her to take a seat, he then went to the mini-bar and took a can of pop before opening it, and then pouring a glass of the fizzy white drink for the blonde Slayer. He then handed the cup to Buffy before sitting across from her, and just waited for her to talk while he took a sip from his cup. He was looking down at a spot on the table while Buffy was looking all around his room. Buffy then closed her eyes and took in a few deep breathes before she looked at Colonel Sheppard, and spoke.

"I didn't tell the president this, but after I was ripped away from heaven," said Buffy as the Colonel looked back up at the young woman, "I came back wrong."

"What do you mean?" asked Colonel Sheppard.

"I… I felt like I was in hell again," said Buffy in a soft voice as she looked at the Colonel while leaning back on her seat, "this world was hell for me; and… and I felt as if I was just going through the everyday motions. I mean I tried to smile and go through the day like normal but I just couldn't feel… I mean I love Dawn, I love Willow, Xander and Tara. But I still couldn't feel and… and that scared me."

"Ok," said the Colonel, "what you went through is something no-one can imagine, Buffy. Getting pulled away from heaven… I can't imagine what it must feel like."

"Like I'm in a freezer," said Buffy as she wrapped her arms around her body while she looked at the glass, "heaven was warmth and love… and when I came back everything around me felt cold, and evil. When I came back, I...some time I wanted to feel again. I missed feeling… I missed a lot and… and I did something that was crazy. Something that made me think I was going nuts."

"Like?" asked the Colonel.

"There's a vampire named Spike that was captured by the Initiative," said Buffy as her lips quivered when she spoke Spike's name, a name that brought up memories of that incident in her restroom, "a chip was implanted in his brain so that he couldn't hurt other humans. But he could fight demons, so he was good for us in that way."

"Ok," said the Colonel who noticed the slight quiver in her voice when she mentioned Spike's name, but decided to hold off in asking any questions until he heard what Buffy had to say. He could only guess at this point that this vampire must have been a very close ally and that he was killed, 'maybe they were close friends? Can that even happen? Vampires and Slayers?'

In the meantime, Buffy continued speaking about how Spike helped them with the whole Glory incident.

"After I came back from heaven," said Buffy, "his chip didn't work on me."

"What?" asked the Colonel surprised.

"He could hit me," said Buffy softly as she looked at the liquid in the clear glass in front of her, a glass that was untouched and already had condensation running down the sides, "when we fought, he could hit me and he'd feel no pain. But even before that… when I came back wrong, being with him made me feel… I… I did things that… I mean... he said he loved me and I was disgusted at the thought. All through high school, he wanted to kill me and now we were… doing stuff when we could. My God, I just wanted to feel so much that I let him do… do things. That's when I knew I came back wrong."

"I don't know you before Tara," said the Colonel gently as he looked at Buffy who looked up at the older man, "but what you went through... it looks like you went through it alone."

"I pushed everyone away," said Buffy as tears gathered in her eyes, "I told Tara about what I did... what I and Spike did. She said I was ok... she said that I was still human… but then why did I do all those things with Spike? Why did I let him do those things to me?"

"Buffy," said the Colonel as he got up and moved his seat so that he was sitting next to the Slayer who hand her hands laying on the table, "I…"

"I used him, and I let him use me," said Buffy slowly, "Xander was so mad when he found out, Willow was surprised and… and Dawn was confused. Then... then Xander wanted to know why… why… Oh God. Why am I even saying all of this?"

"I have one of those faces?" said the Colonel as Buffy looked to her left at the Colonel and gave a small smile while she wiped a few tears from her face before she took in a deep breath and looked at the glass again.

"I led him on, used him… just like I used Riley,' said Buffy softly.

"Riley?" asked the Colonel.

"Army guy," said Buffy as she looked at the Colonel, "he was in the Initiative, and I dated him. I mean he was the one who helped us beat Adam, and he saved a lot of people too. But.. yeah. He left when I didn't choose him and… and then there was Spike. I used him.. he used me and despite me being disgusted at what we did… I still continued. Then the day the others found out, he was in my house and.. and he wanted to show me how much he loved me… he wanted me to make him love me and… and… I didn't want to and… and it was my fault for leading him on. I'll always tell him no, but I'd still have sex with him in his crypt, in the cemetery, outside the Doublemeat Palace, at the Bronze, and oh dear God, even outside my house while Dawn was waiting for me."

"Oh," said the Colonel as he leaned forward and put his hand on top of Buffy's left hand while her right hand was wiping the tears away.

"Only Xander knows," said Buffy as she looked at Colonel Sheppard, "only he knows what happened that night. Don't tell the others."

"I won't," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, "but you know it's not your fault. What happened, it's not your fault."

"Part of me says it is, and the other part says it's not," said Buffy, "being out here in D.C, John… I'm beginning to feel that there's something I can look forward to… talking to the President made me feel that.. that everything I've done until now's been worth it. But what happened with Spike? One part of me is disgusted at myself… I blame myself for what happened; for leading him on… telling him no for so long while I turned around and had sex with him anyway. That would go on for months and… and then that thing happened a few days before you came to Sunnydale. The other part of me knows it's not my fault, but the part that says it's my fault seems so.."

"None of what happened was your fault, Buffy," said the Colonel as Buffy took in a deep breath, "I think…"

It was that exact moment in time that the phone in the Colonel's room rang. The man then smiled at Buffy who nodded her head before he got up, and walked over to the phone. Picking it up, he turned and looked at Buffy who was wiping her eyes before she leaned forward on her chair and took in a few deep breaths. To the Colonel, it looked as it Buffy had gotten something great off her shoulders while he greeted whoever was on the phone.

"John?" asked a groggy Tara who then yawned into the phone before speaking again, "ummm… I know this is kinda silly and you must be asleep and…"

'Nope, haven't gotten to bed yet," said the Colonel.

"Oh," replied Tara as she looked at Willow who was still asleep, "anyway, Ummm… Dawn just called and she was wondering if you've seen Buffy?"

"Oh," said the Colonel, "yeah, well… she's here… in my room and…"

"Oh," said Tara with a grin on her face as she opened her eyes wide and sat up. The motions of the blonde witch on the bed finally woke up Willow who got up and rubbed her eyes before looking at Tara, "so… it's a little after two in the morning, and the both of you are in your room. Why John, I do think that Rodney was right; you're…."

"Don't say it, Tara," said the Colonel.

"Kirk," said Tara with a giggle while Willow looked on confused.

"She just got back from patrol and she came by to say thanks," said the Colonel while Buffy pointed at herself and whispered if Dawn was looking for her, to which the Colonel just nodded his head before whispering back, while covering the microphone, that yes, Dawn was looking for her, "yeah, she's heading back to her room… and no… Tara… no… it's not. No… no… yea, that's all it was. Goodnight, love you too."

The Colonel put down the phone and just looked at Buffy who was now standing up and holding on to the seat back while looking at the Colonel.

"It's not what?" asked Buffy as the Colonel walked towards her.

"She was just kidding around," said the older man.

"About?"

"She was just asking if we were on a date," said the Colonel.

"Yea," said Buffy with a chuckle, "you'll be dating someone broken, who has a history of using and throwing away any man who wants to get close; or uses them, lets see, a girl who also told you that she was... yeah... anyway I'd be the perfect date. Of course, that's not counting the times that I had put my Slaying ahead of everything else, and.. and the fact that you're leaving tomorrow and who knows when I'd see you again and… yeah. Tomorrow's also the last time you'll see Tara for who knows how long and…"

"Buffy," said the Colonel as Buffy stopped babbling, "you hungry?"

Buffy looked at the Colonel for a few moments before giving a small smile and nodding her head. The blonde Slayer then woke up Dawn, and Xander while the Colonel used his cellphone to call Tara's room number. The both of them asking the rest of the Scoobies if they wanted to head out for some late night food. While Tara and Willow refused; the blonde witch saying that they were tired. Finally, it was just Buffy, a yawning Xander who said that he could do with a few slices of pizza, and Dawn who held on to the Colonel all the way to the car. Buffy and the Colonel would occasionally look at each other and smile as they headed out for a night of laughter until four thirty in the morning, which was when they returned to the hotel.

While they were saying their goodbyes before getting a few more hours of sleep, there would be a change of plans at the SGC. With the space pirate known as Vala Mal Doran due to arrive in under five hours at the SGC to see Daniel, the poor archaeologist whose dream was to see Atlantis would have his dreams crushed.

All because of Vala.

Again.

But her intervention would set the stage for Earth to fight in another conflict that would encompass the entire galaxy. In the meantime, a team was set to be sent to the Ancient outpost that was found in Sunnydale; followed by another team that would be sent to the Ancient Outpost in Death Valley. These discoveries would change the way the SGC and Homeworld would build their future ships – ships with both railguns and energy weapons based on Ancient designs.

**Hotel Lobby, 2120 hours.**

Colonel Sheppard had spent the entire day with Tara while the others had been doing their own thing. Willow and Dawn were excited about visiting the rest of the Smithsonian museums, or at least as much as they could see while Buffy and Xander were happy with just following wherever the redhead and the brunette wanted to go. In the meantime, Tara and Colonel Sheppard would be on their own before they would have to catch up with Buffy and the others.

And then came the hard part.

The goodbye.

The Colonel shook Xander's hand in the lobby of the hotel before they were due to get into the waiting cab that would take the Scoobies to Reagan National. The Colonel told the young man that everything was going to be alright and that he already talked to the people at the Army base about the rocket launcher. Xander just nodded his head and told the man to keep in touch, to which the Colonel nodded his head. Xander was then lightly pushed away by Dawn who then rushed to the Colonel and gave him a tight hug.

"I'll miss you," said Dawn as the Colonel smiled and softly told the young brunette that they'll still be able to email each other. Dawn nodded her head before she kissed him on the cheeks and then was pulled back lightly by Buffy who stood in front of the Colonel before hugging the man.

"You'll be ok," whispered the man into Buffy's ear, "you can reach me by email, or if you need anything… any resources, you can tell Tara and she'll let my boss know."

"I know," said the Slayer as she continued the hug while Dawn put her hands on her waist while waiting for one of them to break the hug, "thank you for listening to an insane me."

"You should meet the people I work with," whispered the Colonel jokingly before his voice became serious, "talk to the therapist they'll send your way, trust me... it'll help. And you know how to reach me."

"Thank you," said Buffy as she kissed his cheek again before they looked at each other for a few seconds before Buffy smiled and pulled back. She then walked to Xander and Dawn, who told Buffy that she was hugging the Colonel for far longer than her. The blonde Slayer shook her head at her sister while Willow hugged the Colonel.

"I'll keep clean," said Willow as she looked at the Colonel after breaking the hug, "she'll be safe, I promise… I'll be helping…"

"I trust you," said the Colonel as he put both his hands on Willow's shoulders, "I know you'll keep her safe. Keep yourself safe too."

Willow nodded her head before she stepped back and then Tara hugged her brother tight. The redhead heard light sobs from the blonde witch as she held on tight to the Colonel. Smiling, Willow then told the Scoobies that they should wait for Tara outside, that the siblings needed their privacy. The colonel nodded his head at Willow, and thanked her, and then the redhead and the others walked out with their bags… but not before Buffy turned and looked at the Colonel for one more time before she exited the lobby.

Even though the lobby was sparsely crowded with people, Tara felt as if she and her brother were the only people in there. She couldn't help but imagine the dangers that the Colonel would be facing in the Pegasus galaxy, and now that the time came for her to say goodbye to her brother; Tara didn't want to let him go. So she tightened her hold.. she was afraid that she'll never see him again.

Tara was afraid she'd lose her older brother.

"Shhh," said the Colonel as he stroked the back of Tara's head while she continued to quietly sob, "I'll be alright, I swear. Remember what Elizabeth told you? There'll be personal emails, along with our reports from Atlantis every three days. We'll be getting personal messages from Earth too, so we'll be in touch... I promise. You've got dad and Dave; They're coming to visit you, remember. You have your family here… and we're not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna leave you."

"He will be safe, Tara," said a familiar woman's voice as the Colonel opened his eyes to find himself looking at a blonde haired woman in a white dress, the same one who he had seen the day he retrieved the letter about Tara, the one he saw after he saved Buffy's life, the same one he saw at the Espresso Pump; Laura Maclay, Tara's mother.

At hearing the familiar voice, Tara tensed up before she looked at the Colonel with her eyes all red and watery. The older man nodded his head before gently turning her around to face the woman she loved more than Willow.

"Momma?" asked Tara as he eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

"Hi, Tara," said Laura as Tara ran to the older woman and hugged her tight; the young woman crying anew as she put her head on the older woman's shoulder. Laura hummed the same song that she would use to put Tara to sleep when she was a little girl to comfort her. At the same time, Laura was looking at the Colonel as she silently mouthed, 'thank you.'

All the Colonel could do was nod his head as Tara pulled back, saw her mother while laughing and crying at the same time, and then hugged Laura tight once again while screaming in joy.

"I can't stay too long, Tara," said the older woman she held on tightly to the young blonde witch while looking at the Colonel and smiling, "just know that you'll be watched. I've always watched over you after I died. A friend ascended me after I was buried and… and ever since then, I've watched you. My happiest moment was when you left the house, then you met Willow and the others. I saw you fall in love, and I saw what that love could have done to you. When I was alive, I wrote a letter."

"The one I had in my P.O. box," said the Colonel.

"Yes," replied the older blonde, "but I was never able to leave instructions for it to be sent. It was too late so… so after I ascended, I placed the letter into your P.O. Box the day you left the SGC after your return from Atlantis."

"You interfered," said the Colonel.

"There was always the chance that you'd get the letter late, or you'd be called in for another emergency briefing," said the older woman as Tara looked at her while wiping her eyes, "if you got it late, Tara would have been shot and the world would be in danger. But now it's safe…. For now."

"Momma," said Tara as she held Laura's hands, "you… you're Ascended."

"Yes, my shining star," said Laura with a grin as she caressed Tara's cheeks, "be careful Tara. Something's coming… all I can tell you… all I can say is a warning, 'from beneath you, it devours'. Be very careful in the coming months and year… train yourselves. The world is on a knife's edge, and you need to be prepared… you and your friends, Tara. Right now, I have to go."

"But, momma," said Tara as Laura began to glow, "I… I miss you and… stay.. please."

"I'm always here… except when you and Willow are… you know," said Laura as Tara blushed, "other than those moments, I'm always by your side. And don't blame John for not telling you about me, I knew that he wouldn't… that you'd want to hear from me yourself."

"Sorry, Tara," said the Colonel.

"No," said Tara as she shook her head at the Colonel before she held onto her mother's hand tightly, "she's here.. and she's safe."

"John," said the older blonde, "you'll face more hardships and adventures in Pegasus Just know that should you need it, Athena… the goddess of war will be there to aid you and Atlantis in the battle against the Wraith."

"Huh?" asked John, "what do you…"

"I've already said my hello to Patrick," said Laura as the Colonel nodded his head while wondering at the back of his mind what the woman meant by what she said about Athena. Laura then looked at Tara and asked her to check up on her father and make sure he follows everything the doctors told him to do.

"I will, momma," said Tara as Laura kissed her on the forehead before she vanished, and the two siblings found themselves back in the hotel lobby still hugging each other.

"She's here," said Tara as she looked at the Colonel while wiping her eyes.

"Yep," he replied before kissing the blonde on her cheeks. He then held her hand and lifted his bag while Tara reached for hers. It was then that Tara realized her bag was gone. She looked up at the entrance to the hotel lobby and realized that in her worry about the Colonel, it was Willow who took her bag, and was waiting for her outside with the others. The two half-siblings walked out to the front of the lobby where Willow and Buffy gave the Colonel a small smile before getting into the waiting cab.

"Be careful," said Tara as she looked at her brother and smoothed down his collar, "be careful out there."

The Colonel nodded his head before he hugged Tara, whispering into her ears that he was sorry he didn't tell her earlier about her mother having ascended. Tara shook her head in his shoulder before whispering that he did the right thing, that her mother was right in saying that he believed it would have been better if Laura revealed herself to Tara at the right time. Breaking the hug, Tara looked at the Colonel after having wiped her eyes while imagining him travelling three million light years to the Pegasus galaxy, a journey he had told her would take eighteen days.

Tara then stepped back and the Colonel smiled at her before he opened the cab door. Willow moved into the cab as Tara stepped into the car while Dawn waved at Colonel Sheppard. The man then nodded at the others before he closed the door and stepped back. He looked on as the cab drove off while Tara was looking at him through the back window. He waved at her, as well as to Dawn who also turned around. Once the cab was out of his line of sight, the Colonel sighed and headed to the SUV that would take him to Andrews, from where he would be beamed up to the Daedelus.

He reached into his pocket and took out the picture they had taken during their outing earlier that that day and smiled; Tara was holding onto his arm while Buffy and Dawn were standing next to him, with Willow behind them. Xander was standing right behind, and in-between, the two siblings. Putting the picture back into his pocket, the Colonel sighed before he got into his transport, which soon set off for Andrews.

All he could do now was sit back as the SUV drove off while he thought about everything that happened.

'I have a sister,' thought the Colonel as a smile came to his lips while he pushed Atlantis and the Wraith to the back of his mind for now.

At least, until he was beamed onto the Daedalus.

TBC.

 


	35. Chapter 35

**Earth Ship Daedalus, two days later; hyperspace.**

With Colonel Sheppard and the others from the expedition called to action almost immediately after leaving the orbit of Earth, the man stood in the Mass Hall looking out the window while thinking about how close they had come to death just a day ago. A Wraith virus had taken over the ship's systems and nearby flew them extremely close to the surface of a nearby star, so much so that the crew would die radiation exposure before the virus took the ship to Wraith controlled space. Once reaching its ultimate destination, the Wraith would know the location of Earth, and they would have the means to get there through the use of the Asgard hyperdrive. It was Mackay who had the idea to isolate the virus to particular systems… however, that plan failed multiples times; until it worked at the last possible second. The virus was in an F-302 that had taken off on its own and had been controlling the ship from outside the vessel once the virus had finally been purged for all of the Daedalus'' systems. Colonel Sheppard and Mackay were in the hanger when they discovered that there was a 302 out in space and with the virus decompressing the hanger bay, the both of MacKaythem got into one of the small ships that had its guidance system taken out so that the virus couldn't jump to the electronic systems in their plane.

sS the Colonel continued to look out into the hyperspace tunnel, he recalled performing a suicidal manoeuvre to destroy the rogue F-302. It was something that he realized he did only after he had shot the small ship, and then headed out of the radiation zone of the star; he now knew that he could have died by following the other ship into the danger zone. As he flew out of the near impact with the dangerous section of the star, he remembered Tara's face; he remembered her laughter, and then he had a bad feeling in his gut when he imagined the blonde witch getting the notification that he had been killed in action. Taking a sip of the coffee in his hand, the Colonel shook his head and pushed those thoughts deep down. When he and Tara were alone during their outing before the Colonel left Earth, he had told her that he'd have to take extreme risks to get a job done. He told Tara that they would be calculated risks as much as possible, but there would be times when he'd need to do something stupid and incredibly risky to save the city, or save a friend.

'I can't stop being who I am,' thought the Colonel to himself as he looked out at the hyperspace tunnel. It was a few minutes later that he noticed someone coming up to stand next to him; glancing to his left, he nodded his head at Dr. Weir who also had a cup of coffee in her hand. She told the Colonel that various systems were still being tested just to be on the safe side, but for now.. it was clear sailing all the way to the Pegasus galaxy and Atlantis.

"Yea," said the Colonel nodding his head.

"You miss Tara," said Dr. Weir as the Colonel gave a small smile before he took another sip.

"That obvious?" asked Colonel Sheppard.

"She's your sister, John," said the diplomat, "she's someone you never knew existed and, even if you had known her your entire life, it's only natural to miss someone you love."

"Yeah," said the Colonel nodding his head in agreement, "oh, any news on Dr. Jackson?"

"I talked to General Landry via subspace," said Dr. Weir, "he and SG-1.."

"I thought SG-1 was retired," asked the Colonel as he looked at Dr. Weir who chuckled before telling him that Daniel was with Teal'c, and the new leader of SG-1, Colonel Cameron Mitchell, at Glastonbury Tor searching for Merlin's treasure.

"Neat," said the COlonle shaking his head impressed before he looked out of the window once again, "feel sorry for Dr. Jackson though… he was excited about coming along for the ride... wait, did you say Merlin? As in Merlin, the King Arthur Merlin?"

"Yes," said Dr. Weir as she smirked.

"Neat," said the Colonel impressed.

"It is, isn't it," said Dr. Weir as she looked out at the tunnel, "we have Atlantis, and they have Merlin. Two legends that need exploring."

"True... Ummm… Elizabeth?" said the Colonel as he looked at the woman, "there's something that's been bothering me. I mean... I've been thinking about it a lot, and there's something that doesn't make much sense."

"About?" asked Dr. Weir as the both of them walked to a table and sat across from one another in the empty Mess Hall.

"Before I left," said the Colonel, "I met with Tara's mother… she's an ascended being."

"Really?" asked the surprised Dr. Weir, "wow, first Chaya and now…. Wow. Umm, what did she want?"

"She thanked me for looking out for Tara," said Colonel Sheppard, "she also gave a warning that I'm sure Tara's already told Buffy and the others. I think it went something like, 'from beneath you, it devours.'

"Huh?" asked the diplomat as she leaned back on her chair and looked on confused at the Colonel, "that's weird. You think it's some kind of danger for Buffy and the others?"

"That's what Laura, Tara's mother, said but with the Council not letting us help her directly," said the Colonel as he waved his hands, "I'll bet that Tara will be calling for help in a few months… or a year like Laura claimed."

"I'll let the SGC know," said Dr. Weir who was had already stood up but was stopped from walking away by Colonel Sheppard who asked her to stay, that there was something else that was much stranger.

"She said that when the time comes, we could call on the goddess Athena to come to the aid of Atlantis," said the Colonel as Dr. Weir looked at him in surprise, "I mean it was just out of the blue. I don't know if she meant Athena as in a real goddess, I can't believe I just said that or… Elizabeth, you alright?"

The Colonel noticed the look of utter shock on Dr. Weir's face as her jaw remained slack and her eyes were wide open. She was leaning forward after she took a seat again with Colonel Sheppard asking in concern, "Elizabeth, you ok?"

"What if she was referring to an Ancient?" asked the diplomat, "umm… do you remember the me from the past? The one who travelled back in time?"

"Who can forget?" said the Colonel, "but what does she have to do with anything?"

Dr. Weir then told the Colonel about something her alternate self, from an alternate timeline, had told her about meeting a woman named Athena. Dr. Weir told the Colonel that all the older version of herself kept on saying was that 'she looked like her'.

"She looked like her? Who? Athena? Who did she look like?" asked the Colonel confused while shaking his head at the same time.

"I don't know," said Dr. Weir as she knitted her eyebrows and she looked at the table, and then back up at the Colonel, "she lost consciousness again while you and Rodney were asleep. She got up thirty minutes later and I asked her about it, she said something about not wanting to affect the timeline, I don't know what she meant. I wanted to ask more questions but she wanted to finish her story, so I let her."

"So," said the Colonel, "if this Athena's an Ancient, and she's some kind of a goddess… then she's ascended like Chaya."

"Could be," said Dr. Weir, "but they can't interfere though, even Chaya couldn't interfere by taking in refugees remember?"

"How about this, what if we're not looking for Athena the Ancient," said the Colonel, "but something related to Athena. Laura said that Athena will help in our time of need; and with the Wraith… well, we need help now."

"You think something's in the database?" asked Dr. Weir asked Dr. Weir with an eyebrow raised, "maybe you could be right. I tried searching for Athena's name among a list of residents of Atlantis when my alternate told me about her, but I found nothing. It made me think that maybe she was wrong. I mean she was old so…."

"Maybe it's a weapon that the Ancients were working on," asked the Colonel as he leaned back in thought.

"A weapon of war codenamed Athena?" asked Dr. Weir.

"Could be?" asked the Colonel.

"When we return to Pegasus, John," said Dr. Weir, "I'd like for you to talk with Chaya. She's the only Ancient we know who'll actually talk to us… well, to you anyway. Find out what you can about Athena from her. I'd like to know if there was a real Ancient by that name. In the meantime, I'll have Zalenka look through the database for the name Athena, and I mean the full database instead of just the list of residents who used to stay in Atlantis."

"That's a good idea," said Colonel Sheppard nodding his head.

**Proculus, nineteen days later, 1300 hours.**

It had been a day since the Daedelus returned to the orbit of Lantea and the expedition members had been sent back to the city below. Dr. Weir and the others had been welcomed back by Teyla, who returned control of the city to Dr. Weir; and then they had got to work. The city was being resupplied while Mackay and Zelenka had gone to search for anything on Athena, of whom they were already briefed on by Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard, in the full Atlantis database.

And while the main goal now was to continue the search for the missing Lieutenant Ford; Dr. Weir ordered Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, and Mackay to head to Proculus the next day to talk to Chaya about Athena. She said that they needed information about what they believed to be a weapon that could help them fight the Wraith.

It was following the meeting that the Colonel told his teammate on AR-1, Atlantis Recon – 1, about his sister. Teyla was surprised to know that the man actually had a sister. He even showed the Athosian woman a picture that he had brought with him, a fact that made her smile; she later explained that he was someone who shared so little of his past with other people, and to share a picture of his sister with her was an honour. It was later that day that the Colonel had gotten a surprise when Dr. Weir checked in with the SGC, and a plethora of data, including personal messages, were sent to Atlantis.

With the next check-in being three days from the time they received the messages, Colonel Sheppard looked through his messages from Tara, of which were two emails and various pictures; then from Dawn who had sent six emails asking if he had reached his destination, and three from Buffy who also sent him messages from Willow and Xander; all were giving him an update on their lives. The Colonel read the ones from Buffy who talked about talking to the therapist who was sent to her and the others, followed by her talking about various other things that made the Colonel smile in his quarters after the doors were closed. He then went through the emails from Tara who told him that their father and brother were coming to visit her in Sunnydale in two weeks, and Dawn was already getting nervous that they wouldn't like the house. Smiling, the Colonel then looked at a candid picture of Tara cooking pancakes while Buffy was drinking juice in a pair of shorts and a tank-top with her hair all scraggly as if she had just woken up. The Colonel chuckled when he saw the next picture where the blonde Slayer was pointing at the person behind the camera while her eyes were wide open in surprise with Tara laughing.

'Bet that's Dawn behind the camera,' thought the Colonel to himself as he looked at the next picture.

Soon, he had written his responses before getting them to Mackay so that they could be compressed and then sent to Earth during their next check-in. In the meantime, the Colonel asked Mackay how the search for the Athena weapon was going. However, all the chief scientist could say was that it would be a few days since they were scouring the entire database searching for one name.

Back in the present day, the Colonel hoped that they would be able to cut down the number of things they needed to check in the Atlantis database in regards to Athena. He, Teyla, and Mackay flew the Jumper through the space gate, and then landed near a stone walled home that belonged to Athar, Chaya's alias among the people of Proculus.

She was their god… their protector from the Wraith.

"Hello," said Colonel Sheppard as two monks approached him and the others.

"Greetings," said Teyla while bowing her head.

"Hi," said Mackay as the monks gave them a bow just as a gust of wind rustled the branches of the trees around them.

"John, Teyla, Dr. Mackay," said a beautiful woman in a white dress as she walked down the stairs from a second floor at one end of the compound.

"Athar," said the monks as they turned towards her and bowed.

"Please, rise," said Chaya as he tapped their shoulders before asking them for some privacy. The monks smiled before they left, saying that they'll prepare some drinks and food for the guests. She then bowed her head slightly at them before saying, "thank you."

"We won't be staying long, Chaya," said the Colonel as Chaya turned back towards the Colonel, smiled, and then walked towards him.

"It has been a long time, John," said the ascended woman.

"Long time for us too," said Mackay as Teyla sighed and shook her head.

"Apologies, Dr. Mackay," smiled Chaya at the scientist, "it has been a long time since I have seen you as well."

"Thank you," said Mackay as he perked up proudly, "we've had some problems here and there but…."

"Chaya," said Teyla as she took a step forward, interrupting Mackay's speech, "we have come to Proculus to ask for your help."

"I cannot help you with refugees," said Chaya, "you know…"

"We just need some information on a name," said the Colonel as Chaya looked at him and nodded her head, "Athena."

Teyla looked at the Colonel and then at Mackay, before looking back at Chaya when her smile vanished. The Ancient took a step forward and, with her eye's showing a hint of sadness, asked them where they had heard that name.

"Another ascended being told me," said the Colonel before Chaya nodded her head, and then asked them to follow her for some food.

"We have many things to catch up on," said Chaya as AR-1 looked at each other, and then they followed Chaya to a section of the back garden where there were cups of liquid and food set out on a round table. The Colonel, Teyla, and Mackay took their seat with Chaya sitting down facing them. She then leaned on the table while MacKay started to eat; the Ancient smiled at Mackay who said that his blood sugar was getting low before Chaya looked at Colonel Sheppard.

"Athena was one of those you call Ancients," said Chaya, "I have known her since young, we were friends… she was a good person, but she and her sister suffered greatly."

"What happened?" asked Colonel Sheppard as he took a drink while Teyla listened intently.

"The day her sister was born," said Chaya, "her mother passed away."

"Oh," said Mackay as he stopped eating and looked at Chaya, and then at the Colonel.

"After that it was her and Hera, her sister, and their father," said Chaya, "those two were inseparable as sisters, they would have the fights that siblings always do but they loved each other and their father. They grew up on Atlantis during the war and eventually Athena became a noted geneticist, and Hera became an observer of people and cultures. But there was something in Athena; whenever we would talk or cooperate on projects… I noticed there was something about her that was… cold."

"Cold?" asked Teyla.

"The war changed a lot of people deep inside," said Chaya as she looked at the table, "Athena changed ever since she was young. She wanted to find a way to annihilate the Wraith.. to get rid of them all but…"

"So she succeeded in finding something?" asked Mackay in surprise, "but let me guess, the Ancients on Atlantis didn't want her to continue, or…."

"Her sister didn't want her going down that path," said Chaya, "Hera would tell Athena that she was her light. That she would light the darkness around her sister so that she would never fall into the darkness… so that she'll never do something that she would regret later in life. Hera made Athena promise to find a cure for the Wraith instead. And she was working on such an endeavour. I heard that she was close to finding a cure…"

"Maybe that is the message," said Teyla as she looked at the Colonel, "her cure. If Dr. Beckett can complete it then we have an effective way to end the Wraith threat."

"She's right," said Mackay, "get rid of the…"

"She never finished it," said Chaya.

"Yes, but I'm sure that we can find her experiments," said the Colonel excitedly as he got up, "I need to dial the gate and inform Atlantis that they need to narrow their search to…"

"John," said Chaya as she motioned towards his empty seat, signalling him to take a seat once again, "there is more."

"Ok," said the Colonel confused as he sat down.

"Athena's sister was murdered by the Wraith in front of her eyes," said Chaya as she looked down at the table while remembering how distraught Athena was after Hera's death, "that's what broke her. There was a part of her that held back the darkness in her heart after Hera's death… but it didn't stop her from halting her research into a cure. Instead, she began researching biological weapons."

"What did she do," asked the Colonel, his face paling when Chaya mentioned biological weapons.

"You have to understand, she loved Hera… she loved her so much that even her father was not able to stop her," said Chaya softly, "such anger and rage. I saw the aftermath of Hera's death… Athena, destroyed her lab. All her data chips, papers, research… all was gone and destroyed, scattered as ashes on the floor. Her research exists in Atlantis… but the physical copies were destroyed. She created a way to destroy all life in this galaxy."

"What!" said Mackay as he coughed while the Colonel patted his back while also looking at Chaya in shock.

"Can you imagine the anger that goes into such research?" asked Chaya, "the hatred? She wanted to destroy humans and Wraith. Atlantis would be long gone with some humans as survivors. She wanted to destroy all life, and make it so that no life ever grew again."

"I'm guessing that someone stopped her," said Colonel Sheppard.

"The Council stopped her," said Chaya, "and she did… that's how I knew that there was a part of her fighting to remain sane. She went onto another endeavour where she created a weapon that caused explosive tumours. There was an unsanctioned experiment where she handed the weapon to some Wraith worshippers, who in turn later activated the weapon; it was something they believed was simply data on key systems on Atlantis. The device killed everyone and turned the Wraith cloning facility into rubble. But, twenty humans died because of what she did. The weapon affected the human worshippers as well as the Wraith, and when the humans returned to their village, the tumours in their bodies exploded, taking innocent men, women, and children with them as well."

"And the Atlantis Council nixed that too," said the Colonel as Chaya nodded her head.

"That is all I know," said Chaya, "the last two years before the evacuation, I was staying with my people on Proculus. I ascended here, and that's when I used my powers for the first time to protect the planet. That's when I was punished by the Others, to remain the sole protection of Proculus and her inhabitants alone. Athena came to see me a year before the evacuation… she was excited about her latest idea to destroy the Wraith, something that she was certain would kill them all; living weapons. Weapons genetically engineered to battle the Wraith… to battle, and win. She knew what happened with our previous attempts at creating an ultimate weapon… and she did not want her weapons to have any consciousness; no feelings of independence. She said she would engineer a code within their genetic structure… a code that, when activated once the Wraith were killed off, would destroy these living weapons."

"So that was unsuccessful," said Mackay, "her life was full of failure's."

"Mackay," said the Colonel as he frowned at the scientist.

"Please, continue," said Teyla after she too frowned at Mackay after he said that he felt bad about what happened to Athena, but if these living weapons were as powerful as she said they were, then she was unsuccessful as well since the Wraith were still feeding on humans throughout the galaxy.

"It is not because of what you think," said Chaya as she looked at Mackay, and then at the Colonel, "the Council would not allow it. I sensed that her mission was complete, and I made my way to Atlantis to see the results of her proposal. She was told that the murder of these living weapons, who are essentially genetically engineered human beings, would amount to genocide. She was denied, but by that time, the decision to leave was already made."

"And she left for Earth," said the Colonel as Chaya nodded her head.

"So that ascended being on Earth was really speaking of weapons created by Athena," said Teyla as she looked at Colonel Sheppard.

"Yea," said the Colonel as he smiled, "we have a way to get back at the Wraith now."

TBC

 


	36. Chapter 36

**MacKay's Lab, Atlantis, 1730 hours.**

MacKay was working on his computer, with Zelenka on another computer behind hi, when there was a sudden beeping sound from his left side. After returning from Proculus some hours ago, the chief scientist and Zelenka went on to narrow the search for Athena's weapons while Colonel Sheppard went with Teyla to brief Dr. Weir about what Chaya had told them about Athena.

And now, Mackay and Zelenka looked at the screen to their left in surprise as, among a list of experiments, a red light highlighted an experiment that got the two scientists looking at each other, and then at the screen again.

"Call Elizabeth," said Mackay as Zelenka pressed on his earpiece and called Dr. Weir, as well as Colonel Sheppard, and Teyla to meet them in the former's lab. While Zelenka was talking to Dr. Weir who was on her way, Mackay took a step towards the screen and looked at the highlighted portion of the list that was blinking red and thought to himself, 'Project Hera: The Evolution of Living Weapons by Athena.'

It was fifteen minutes later that Dr. Weir, Colonel Sheppard and Teyla rushed into Mackay's lab; the diplomat asking the scientist what it was that they had found as she looked at the screen which had a strand of DNA rotating clockwise vertically with several lines that were pointing to the strand with Ancient writing.

'It's amazing," said Zelenka who looked at Dr. Weir, before looking at the screen again as Mackay frowned at the man, before he looked at the screen again, "whoever this Athena was? She's amazing and…"

"No, she's not," said Mackay as he pointed at the screen, "it was a failure and…"

"She wasn't approved for the experiment, Rodney," said Zelenka as he looked at Mackay, and then at Dr. Weir and the others, "as far as we can tell, the.."

"Look," said Mackay interrupting Zelenka while the latter man frowned, "what Athena wanted to make may have worked, but…"

"She ran simulations which had a ninety-nine present success rate," said Zelenka as Dr. Weir and the others looked in surprise at the two bickering scientists, "it could have been successful. You're just mad because you didn't think of it first."

"I'm not mad," said Mackay as Zelenka put his hands up and said something in Czech while Dr. Weir rolled her eyes and told the two scientists to calm down and explain everything to her.

"What Athena wanted to do was unique," said Zelenka, "living weapons with enhanced strength, agility, healing, durability, and…"

"Basically like a superhuman with genetic memory," said MacKay with a roll of his eyes, "but there's no proof it could actually work. Of course, then there's the whole genetic bomb."

"Hold on," asked Teyla, "genetic memory?"

"Athena's notes tell us that the weapons, these clones, would have knowledge on any and all forms of armed and unarmed combat," said Zelenka, "the Wraith would be able to feed on them but it would be very slowly because of their enhanced durability. They can kill the Wraith before they die. Athena wanted to create millions of these weapons and release them on Hive ships, their cloning facilities, and the Wraith controlled planets. All leading to the total annihilation of the Wraith."

"And then she was going kill them all using the code," said Teyla as Zelenka looked at Mackay, and then the both of them looked at the others and nodded their heads.

"How about her other experiments?" asked Dr. Weir.

"Either they've been locked out, or deleted from the Atlantis database," said Mackay as he pointed at the screen behind him, "and yes, I know that the city has many redundancies… but I think that the Council had the authority to override that, and delete the information from every redundant system. The only reason this wasn't deleted is probably because the Ancients were too busy evacuating the city."

"One more thing," said Dr. Weir, "my alternate said that she had met with Athena, and said that 'she looked like her'."

"She did?" asked Mackay, "you didn't tell…"

"I know I didn't tell anyone," said Dr. Weir as she looked at Mackay, "I'm telling you now, is there a way to find what Athena looks like?"

"That's the thing," said Mackay, "we haven't been able to find her name in the database. We know that Athena exists because of what Chaya told us."

"We know she exists because of her proposal and her notes," said Zelenka, "but her biography? And her sister's biography? Nothing exists, not even medical records."

"Maybe her information's being hidden on purpose?" asked Colonel Sheppard as Mackay shrugged.

"Keep on digging," said Dr. Weir, "but make that secondary. Right now, I want a way to know if the genetic bomb can be written out of the genetic code. Then I want to know if we can do what Athena wanted to do, but on a much, much smaller scale… and I want this all kept to ourselves until we know everything there is to know. I want a report on my desk, and then I'll decide on what to tell the SGC and the IOA, or if I should even tell them."

"Eliz…" said Colonel Sheppard as he interrupted Dr. Weir/

"We're talking about created life, John," said Dr. Weir, "I'm worried that we may be opening pandora's box…. Can you imagine cloned warriors fighting our wars on Earth."

"Saving soldiers," said Colonel Sheppard nodding his head, "saving lives."

"They are still living, and breathing, human beings," said Teyla as she looked at the screen, "what you speak of is an assembly line of these living weapons. They will be seen as less than human; they will die and then will be easily replaced. Life will mean nothing."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Dr. Weir, "even if we create a few to fight the Wraith, what are the ethical questions we'll have to deal with? Because let's not kid ourselves here, there are ethical questions here in creating life artificially and then sending them to war.. and then creating more to take their place. These people will have special abilities as well, and let's say that they are sent to Earth to fight in our own on-going conflicts.. what happens when they are convinced by the enemy that they should change sides? Do we force them to obey us? Or do we give them free will? Like I said, pandora's box."

"Having them out against the Wraith would help us immensely," said Teyla, "but Dr. Weir has a point, what would happen if they refuse to fight against the Wraith."

"Actually," said Zelenka as he turned and touched the screen before he flicked his finger to another page of Athena's notes, before turning around once again, "Athena wrote that these clones were specifically bred to fight the Wraith. That's their main directive. I suppose once they have done their duty, they could develop into a society all their own if they are not all killed. They would still be humans, albeit with advanced abilities, and I believe capable of creating their own society if given the chance."

"I want a report on my desk a week," said Dr. Weir, "I'll make my recommendation to the SGC and the IOA then."

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, seven months later.**

It had taken a record time but Sunnydale High had been rebuilt with Dawn being one of the students attending the rebuilt school. In the meantime, life for the others had gone on without much problems. Xander was working as a foreman on a construction site while at the same time still going for training, where he was already well known as the resident joker and hard worker, at the Army Base. Buffy was convinced by Willow, Dawn, Tara, and Xander himself to quit the Doublemeat Palace and work with Wesley at the Magic Box; especially since Willow told her best friend that there was only so much of the Doublemeat stench they could stand, especially since that the smell had permeated Buffy's house. Buffy was the one who smirked at Willow and Tara before accepting the offer that Wesley had made her, as well as the offer made by the new Principal of Sunnydale High, Robin Wood, the day Buffy brought Dawn to school for the first time to be a student councillor. She would be the resident student councillor in the day time, while working at the Magic Box in the evenings after school.

And patrolling at night.

The say she was offered the position at the school was the same day that she, Dawn, and a few students were attacked by ghosts; it was the same day that she discovered Spike had returned and was living under the school like a hermit. She pushed the thoughts of Spike to the back of her head… Buffy still hadn't forgotten what the vampire had tried to do; it was something that she was talking over with her therapist, and with Colonel Sheppard through emails every few days. They both of them had gotten closer despite the long distance; although Buffy had no idea about how far of a distance it really was, but they traded emails nearly as much as he did with Tara.

That was the main reason that Buffy did not need Spike in her life right now; but she could see that there was something different in the vampire; he was acting crazy. But the truth was, as she would find out later, the vampire had actually gotten back his soul. For that one moment though, Buffy stopped caring about Spike; the truth was that until now, she hadn't been thinking about him at all. All Buffy could do was listen to him talking away in the school basement before she went to save her sister and her friends from those ghosts.

It would be a few days later that Buffy, Xander, and two men from the army base would come down to the basement of the school and take Spike away. They would bring him to the Magic Box where he was kept in the basement, surrounded by charms and spells in case he decided to attack Buffy again. However, it was Tara who later found out the truth after she and the others questioned him on what he was doing back.

"He has a soul," said the blonde witch as she looked at Buffy and Willow in surprise.

Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head while she watched Spike talking to himself again. Tara and Willow looked at each other, and then at the empty area that Spike seemed to be looking at. Finding nothing there, Willow asked Spike who he was talking to.

"Her," said Spike shaking his head as he looked at the redhead, and then looked at Buffy who had her arms crossed over her chest, "I did it for you… the pain I feel inside was for you… Angel never said it was this painful, why is it so painful?"

"Because you killed thousands of people," said Buffy as she took a step back, "do you remember what happened?"

"Everything," said Spike as he looked at Buffy with a saddened look on his face, "and it hurts."

"Good," hissed Buffy as she took a step forward, something that surprised Tara when she noticed the rage in the Sayer's aura, "remember what you did, and then you'll know why I…. why you coming back doesn't change anything between us. I still loathe you."

"You have every right to, pet," said Spike as his expression changed, he didn't look like an insane man, he just looked like the normal Spike who helped them battle Glory, "I know you won't forgive, but... but there's something coming. We can all feel it… we who play in the darkness. We can all feel it coming. It's going to devour us from below and…"

"From beneath you, it devours," said Willow as she looked at Tara, and then at Buffy before looking at Spike, "that's the warning that Tara received from… well… during a meditation session from the Powers that Be."

"Spike you know what that means?" asked Tara.

"It's coming," said Spike, "and I want to help.. I got my soul back to help."

"Yeah," said Buffy as she told Spike to stay where he was, before she and the others headed up the stairs to the Magic Box. There, Buffy sat down Willow and Tara while Wesley temporarily closed the shop and headed to the table, in the meantime Fred and Lorne were in LA picking up Faith who the Council, using their pull, had managed to free and get all charges dropped due to the young woman having inept counsel; and a disturbingly lack of evidence despite her admission to murdering Professor Worth. Back in the Magic Box, Buffy then sat down and asked Wesley if he managed to find anything about what Spike was talking about, and about the warning that Tara received from the Powers that Be.

'At least I told them it's from the Powers that Be,' thought Tara to herself as she chuckled inside, 'better than saying my ascended mother came back to warn me.'

"I talked to Mr. Giles," said Wesley about the watcher who received a call a few days ago and had to leave for London once again in an emergency, "and… and its worse than we thought. Remember the bombings?"

"Uh huh," said Buffy as she recalled the news about the destruction of Wolfram and Hart, the apartment complex, and the Hyperion Hotel, "what about them?"

"We knew that Cordelia and Angel were killed because they were your allies," said Wesley as he leaned back and sighed, "but we could never figure out about Wolfram and Hart."

"Uh huh," said Buffy.

"The demons behind Wolfram and Hart, the senior Partners," said Wesley, "they have their own plans for the apocalypse. Plans that interfere with another… a very powerful creature… thing… I don't think there's really a word for it. A creature that is as old as the universe itself… at least that's what Mr. Giles' contact told him. It's the First Evil."

"The one who tried to get Angel to kill himself?" asked Buffy as he looked at Wesley.

"That's precisely what Mr. Giles said," replied Wesley, "he received a call on rumours that Potential Slayers are being killed by agents of the First Evil. He brought this to the Council, but they denied everything… which means that they know something which they aren't telling us."

"This is big," said Willow as she leaned back on her seat while looking at Wesley, "can't we just call the military and ask them to talk to the Council?"

"The Council knows about the arrangement with Tara," said Wesley as he looked at everyone, "the military cannot get involved in protecting the Potential Slayers without permission of the Watcher's Council."

"But I can ask for help to protect me and my home," said Tara as Wesley nodded his head.

"From what we can guess," said Wesley, "the First is using its agents to kill the Potential Slayers first, then it'll end with Buffy and Faith. If that happens, it'll get its ultimate goal."

"Ending the Slayer line," said Spike as he stood at the entrance to the back office while the others stood up surprised. Buffy headed to a bookshelf, pushed some books to one side and took out a stake while Willow gathered blue magical energy, something she was able to control thanks to her trainers from the Devon Coven who were spending their days working as nurses at the Sunnydale Mercy Hospital in the day, and then training her in the evenings. Instead of attacking them, Spike put up his hands and said that he wasn't there to harm anyone, instead he knew things were coming, "I told you I can feel it rising. Every demon will be able to feel it… it's bad, Slayer. And I'm just here to help.. can… can I speak to you alone?"

"No," said Buffy shaking her head as she pointed her stake as the ensouled vampire.

It was Willow who noticed the tremor in Buffy's arm, before she looked at the ensouled Vampire.

"What you wanna say, you can just say it now," said Buffy.

"I'm sorry," said Spike as he nodded his head.

"Whatever," said Buffy as she put the stake down.

"Every demon out there's gonna be coming for the Slayers," said Spike, "and the Potential Slayers."

"Although I hate to agree," said Wesley, "the First has had eternity to plan for this moment, endless resources… it could call on any number of demons to weaken up and make our lives hell. Tara? Call the military, we need you protected."

"Got it," said Tara as she headed for the phone.

TBC.

 


	37. Chapter 37

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 1700 hours.**

Willow was back home in the room she shared with Tara, who was in class, as she sat down in front of her laptop. She opened the top before she pressed her thump on the scanner, she then saw a red light flash before the laptop activated and she logged onto the secured servers at the Pentagon. The redhead didn't have any idea where the secured servers were located, and she was tempted to find out… but every time she was tempted, she could hear Colonel Carter's voice in her head telling her not to do it, or else she'll have her access revoked and she'll be arrested. Shaking her head, Willow typed on the keyboard while she thought about the wall they had all hit on the power generation issue, so now… the redhead was given five more projects to work on with Colonel Carter, Dr. Lee, and unknown to her, some other scientists at Area 51. However, for right now, Dr. Lee was her immediate supervisor since, unknown to Willow, Colonel Carter had been transferred back to the SGC from Stargate research and development at Area 51.

And with the increased pay in taking more projects, Willow didn't have a reason to complain; she was working with some of the best scientists on Earth, she was being trained in her magic, and she had the love of her life with her. Now with Buffy and Dawn at the Magic Box, Willow found herself alone at home when the phone rang. The redhead ran out of her room, and then down the stairs to the phone in the living room. Picking it up, she smiled inwardly when she realized that it was Tara on the other line. The blonde witch said that she received a call back from General O'Neill, and that a team would be sent to the house tomorrow to install some security features for protection.

"They'll be there tomorrow morning," said Tara who was standing outside the door to her class, "I just wanted to let you know and… I mean I've already told Buffy at the Magic Box… I just called cause I wanted to hear your voice."

Willow blushed and gave a little smile as she sat on the couch.

"I've got training tonight," said Willow, "late dinner?"

"Yeah," said Tara with a grin, "and desert?"

"I have a few ideas," said Willow with a smirk, "oh, oh, we need to get the dresses for your brother's wedding."

"Right," said Tara shaking her head, "we'll go tonight and collect the dresses, and then we'll have dinner."

"Did John ask Buffy to be his plus one yet?" asked Willow, "I haven't asked Buffy if he asked, so… and I don't wanna ask in case she… you know."

"He said he wants it to be a surprise," said Tara, "which is why we're bringing Buffy too when we go get our dresses, we'll come up with an excuse."

"Sounds like a plan," said Willow nodding her head.

"Goody," said Tara as she turned and reached for the classroom door, "I'll see you tonight, sweetie."

"See you, Tara," said Willow as the both of them put their phones down.

**London, England, at that same time.**

As Willow went back up the stairs to start on her latest project from Colonel Carter, and while Tara went back into her class, and everyone else was doing what they were supposed to be doing; Giles was in the library in the Watchers Council. He knew that there was something very wrong going on despite the head of the Council, Quentin Travers, denying everything. Giles had known the man for far too long and knew that he was hiding something. So instead of going through the Council, which he knew would be a dead end, Giles sneaked into the library and started to pick out books on the First Evil, and then place them in a backpack. He had already sequestered some Potential Slayers he had found from one of his contact who, he had never told Wesley, had been found killed with the Potential Slayer hiding in fear. He then had found three more Slayers, one of who was an American who was visiting London when her watcher was murdered and she ran to a safe house. The Watcher in that safe house knew what was happening, so he contacted Giles and sent the Potential Slayer to him… unfortunately, that particular Watcher was then murdered by agents of the First Evil.

Back in the library, there was something pushing Giles to hurry... something in the back of his mind telling him to get whatever he could carry; that he had to leave now. Stuffing the final book, and a file of papers, into his overstuffed bag; the Watcher then looked up and his eyes opened wide in shock.

Standing a few feet in front of him was a short haired blonde in a cream coloured blouse, and tanned trousers

"Anya?" asked Giles before he shook his head, "no… the First can appear as those who have died and…"

"Get out, Giles," said Anya, "you have to go… go now."

Giles then saw Anya vanish, her words ringing in his ears… something about the tone in her voice had reflected her seriousness about something that was going to happen. Shaking his head, the Watcher picked up his bag and then ran out of the library. He avoided the guards, and his fellow Watchers as much as he could before taking the rear stairwell and headed down to the lobby. Once at the lobby, he took the secret rear exit that led into an alley; once he was out, the man then ran to the crowded main street so that no one would recognize him if the alarms went off inside once it was discovered that important books were stolen. He continued walking within the crowd of people when he heard a loud boom from behind him. The next thing he knew, people were screaming and running in all directions away from the loud boom.

Giles turned around, and to his shock saw a huge fireball exploding out of the Watchers Council's headquarters. He put his hand over his mouth as he stepped back and looked at the wonton destruction taking place in front of him, just before he was knocked onto the road by a secondary explosion that collapsed the entire building.

"I'm sorry, Giles."

Giles looked up at the voice, and saw Anya standing to his left as she looked at the collapsed rumble that used to be the Watchers Council. The man slowly got up as Anya turned to face the man, who looked at her with eyes wide open while hi mind raced at wondering what was going on; wondering what he was going to say, and wondering if this was the First Evil standing in front of him.

"I'm not the First Evil," said Anya.

"That's what the First Evil would say," replied Giles as he looked at the figure suspiciously.

"True," said Anya with a smirk, "but I'm not. I can't be telling you more, but… but you need to go; things are about to change, Giles. The darkness and the light, it's all going to happen soon… and the darkness is getting stronger. The First Evil is coming and…"

"I'm here," said a voice as Anya, her face devoid of any emotion, turned to look at a perfect copy of herself. Giles too turned and looked at the other copy of Anya in surprise; she was wearing the same dress that she was buried in, and then Giles looked at the Anya in the cream top and narrowed his eyes before shaking his head in confusion.

"The First Evil," said Anya as her jaw locked; she could feel a pull in the pit of her stomach, and she knew that she was being watched. She glanced to her left and saw a redheaded woman, and a blonde… Melina and Laura respectively, watching her every move.

"I am coming for you," said the First as she looked at Anya, and then at Giles, "I was referring to you… you little meat sack."

"We… we'll fight and…" said Giles as the First laughed in his face.

"Nothing can help you," said the First as she stopped laughing and glared at Giles, and then at Anya, "not even her."

"Go, Giles," said Anya as she and the First glared at each other.

"You think I don't know where your Potentials are, Giles?" asked the First as it took on Jenny Calendar's form, a form that Giles looked on in sadness… a sadness that turned to anger at how the First was treating the memory of his dead love, "I'm letting them go… you too. All to prove how futile your fight is going to be. So… run, little boy… run."

"Giles, go," said Anya as she looked at the old man, "please."

"Anya?" asked Giles as he looked at the Anya in the cream coloured top, "I…."

"There's a lot of things humans don't know," said Anya, "maybe you're not ready to know… not yet. Right now, you need to run and prepare. Don't tell Xander you saw me… when.. when the time comes, he'll know I'm safe. Now, go."

"You haven't prevented the inevitable," said the First as it took on Anya's form after Giles ran off, "I'm still coming. And I know you, you and your kind always walking the Earth… just watching. You won't interfere, you will watch this world burn as I take human form… you will watch this world fall, humanity will fall. I will be in every heart; be it man, woman, or child.. I will have them all."

"You will be stopped," said the redheaded woman who appeared next to Anya while people were running all around them, some bloodied and injured from the debris, and then came the sirens of then emergency service vehicles that were heading to the site of the destruction, "humans of this world are very stubborn. They will find a way."

"If you are referring to the Stargate," said the First as it took on General Carter's form, "there's nothing that can harm me. My army will raze this Earth, and then… then we will use the Gate and travel to other words. I know how it works, I will take control of it. This galaxy will belong to my demon children… and we hunger."

"Not gonna happen," said Laura shaking her head as she stood next to Anya, "we know what you really are; you're old…. I give you that. But we know the truth."

"And there is nothing you can do to tell the people around you," said the First, still in General Carter's form, "and neither can the military if they knew the truth about me; you know, all that pesky issues with clearance. I will kill all the Potentials, and then I will kill the two Slayers… and then the line of Slayers will be ended for all time."

"You know nothing," said the redhead, "these people will fight, and you will lose."

"I don't see that happening," said the First as it took Buffy's form, "I have my agents, my army; the Slayers will die first, and then… then everyone else."

The First then vanished, leaving the three ascended beings standing among the screaming pedestrians.

"It has no idea of what will happen," said Melina as she looked at the place where the First was just standing.

"Nope," said Laura and Anya together before the three of them vanished.

**The Summers Residence, 1300 hours; the next day.**

It was the next day that personnel from the Sunnydale Army Base arrived to the Summers home with various metallic case, and one large case that was kept to the side. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Dawn were at home while Tara was in class when the personnel started work on the security system while one Sergeant Wilks briefed the Slayer on what the security system would do; once Buffy was told that the alarm was connected directly to the Army base, and that a team would be sent immediately following an alarm… the Sergeant then handed Willow and Buffy a remote control each. HE told them that those were experimental remotes that would activate the alarm, or disable it… or call for a 'code red' mobilization should anything happen and the alarm wasn't tripped. He then showed them how to set up the scanners that would continuously monitor the exterior at night.

"Scanner?" asked Willow.

"Infrared, thermal, and just plain movement," said the Sergeant nodding his head, "it's pretty next gen technology that's gonna be coming into the market within the next few years. The sensors will monitor everything, and if it senses movement… there's gonna be thirty seconds, a timing that you can change to a minute, to input a code after you get into the house to reset the system.. essentially telling it that you live here. But if you don't, then a silent alarm at the base is triggered, and based on where the intruders are coming from, there'll be an experimental technology hidden in the exterior of the house that'll fire a electrical charge to stop anyone, of anything that tries to get in.

"What do you mean by experimental technology?" asked Buffy, "cause that sounds like something the Initiative used to stop demons."

"Although it broke easily," said Xander as the girls looked at him, "remember we tried to fix it and…"

"Just because Riley fixed it doesn't mean that it was broken," said Buffy as Dawn and Willow chuckled.

"This is a bit more effective than that," said the Sergeant, "it'll be activated once you arm the alarm… but it can also be manually activated using the remotes I gave you. Sensors will search for hostiles, and shoot to stun."

"Only stun?" asked Dawn.

"It's still experimental," said Willow as she looked at the remote control, "you don't wanna kill a friend, or an ally."

"Exactly," said the Sergeant as he thought about the experimental Earth-based Zat-like weapons that Area 51 had been developing for the better part of the past three years, and this was the perfect time to test them out as a security system. He knew that if successful, the system would be installed at the SGC, the Alpha and Beta Sites, and in most American military bases, "better to be safe; easier to apologize to a stunned friendly, than a dead one."

"And the other case out there?" asked Buffy as she nodded at the larger metallic case that was sitting on the porch. The Sergeant looked at it, and then back at Buffy. The man then called to one of the men carrying a case, and asked him and another one to bring the last case inside. Once the two of them lay the case between the Sergeant and the Scoobies, the former input a code on the keypad, and then there was a clicking sound. Xander, Buffy, Willow and Dawn walked around the case as the Sergeant opened it; and opened their eyes wide.

"A M16 rifle, and a P90 with ammunition," said the Sergeant as he closed the lid to the case, and a clicking sound was heard, indicating that the case was locked. He then stood up and looked at Xander before saying, "this case, and its contents are for you. The code I entered was a one-time deal, it's already been wiped out after I closed the lid. There will be a code for you, a code you are to memorise and not share with anyone else since they're not trained in using these weapons. You've been trained in these at the Army Base, and from I've been told… you have the training and knowledge of a soldier. Right, Harris?"

"Yeah," said Xander nodding his head.

"I'll show you the code, and everything else you need to know," said the Sergeant as he looked at the others, "and then I'll need to talk to Miss Sheppard, and have her sign some papers."

"Neat," said Dawn as she looked at the men working around the house.

"Hoping this will stop the First's agents from doing anything funny at home," said Willow.

"Not every security system's a hundred percent," said Buffy before telling Xander to continue training with those weapons, that he was the only one out of them qualified to do so. She then looked at the Sergeant and said that she hoped that the Army was ready, that from what she heard about the First… it was going to be hell for them.

"We have a few aces in the hole," said the Sergeant with a smile, "we'll be ready."

Buffy nodded her head, all while the First was looking at them unseen in Buffy's form; a smirk on its face.

"You're all dead," it said before vanishing.

TBC.

 


	38. Chapter 38

**The Summers Residence, a week later.**

It had taken nearly a week for Faith to settle down at the apartment that Fred had been renting; the two of them not having nearly the amount of history that the dark haired Slayer had with the Scoobies, so it was easier for them to form a bond, or at least try to with Wesley's help. As for Faith and Buffy, It was true that Buffy and Faith would go for patrols together, and it was awkward for the both of them, however, over the week Buffy did notice that Faith was a bit more controlled with that flash of being a Slayer who enjoys her work a bit too much occasionally shining through. However, it was the seventh day of Faith being in Sunnydale that the dark-haired Slayer finally returned to where she had held both Joyce and Dawn hostage just before she switched bodies with Buffy; it was an uncomfortable feeling for Faith at the Summers house, especially she hadn't seen Xander and the others, except for Buffy, since she came to town.

She was spending the majority of the time trying to get used to the peppy Fred.

Back in the Summers house, the dark haired Slayer surprised everyone by telling Tara that she was sorry about not having met her in her own body.

"I was kinda in B's body back then, ya know?" asked Faith as Tara nodded her head while Willow scowled at Faith, as did Dawn. Her first meeting with Xander after her prison release went as well as could be expected; he was still slightly angry at Faith for assaulting him, to which she put her hands up and admitted that what she did was wrong.

"Although," said Faith as she smirked at Xander, "you have to kinda admit you enjoyed it, a little bit."

"Did not," said Xander.

"Yeah," said Willow furrowing her eyebrows, "he didn't."

"Yeah, he did," said Faith, "I felt it."

"You felt… oh," said Tara as she then looked at Xander, as did Willow and Buffy, and Dawn, "you…"

"Not. One. Word," said Xander as he raised an eyebrow at the women around him. It was then that Faith took a step forward and told the young man that she heard about Anya.

"Sorry," said Faith as Xander took in a deep breath, "heard you guys got the nutjob though."

"He's out of our hair," said Tara.

"And Tara," said Faith with a smirk as she turned to the blonde witch, "so when do I get to meet your brother?"

"Ummm…" said Tara as she looked around at the girls and Xander, before looking at Faith again, "he's coming by tomorrow."

"Oh, right," said Buffy, "your brother's wedding, I mean your other brother's wedding."

"Yeah," said Tara as she noticed Buffy's aura flash slightly, "he's coming by tomorrow morning to pick me and Willow up, and he's got some souvenirs he wants to give you guys."

"Sweet," said Dawn, "I wonder if he's going by himself."

"Umm.." said Faith as she looked at Buffy and looked at her unease, before looking at Tara again, "your brother wouldn't happen to have a date yet, would he?"

"I… I'm not sure," said Tara as she looked at the flash of jealousy from Buffy's aura, and the blonde witch noticed that Faith was glancing over at Buffy before looking back at her, 'she's testing Buffy.'

"Mind if I ask him out?" asked Faith.

"No," said Willow as she waved her arms as Tara and the others looked at her, with Buffy's eyes wide open and discretely shaking her head 'no'. Willow then attempted to back track by saying that, "I mean I think he's already seeing… I mean he's already dating someone where he's deployed and he's pretty happy with her. Right? Tara?"

"Yes," said Tara with her eyes wide open.

"You could've just said no," said Faith with an eyebrow raised at Tara before she headed for the kitchen, "I guess I'll have to call the guy with the whip."

"With the what now?" asked Dawn as she followed Faith to the kitchen, as did a suddenly curious Xander. The other people left in the living room now was Buffy, Tara, and Willow; and Buffy turned back to Tara and asked if Colonel Sheppard had asked anyone yet.

"He's coming back tomorrow to ask his plus one," said Tara shrugging her shoulders, "I think he's interested in someone."

"Yeah," said Willow nodding her head, "why? You interested in being his plus one? I mean… you haven't really talked about him much except to say that you got a few emails. So do you guys talk lovey dovey stuff and…"

"Will," said Tara and Buffy together as the redhead chuckled.

"Oh come on," said Willow as she put her arm around Buffy's shoulder, "if I can't make fun of my best friend, who can I make fun off."

"Ha ha ha," said Buffy as she glared at Willow, "I'm gonna be too busy anyway."

"Oh?" asked Tara curiously as she looked at Willow, and then at Buffy, "and you'll be busy doing what now?"

"Slaying, then helping make sure that Faith doesn't do anything stupid, and…."

"I heard that!" shouted Faith from the kitchen.

"Well, it's true," shouted Buffy before she turned back towards Willow and Tara who were now standing together, "anyway, I'll probably use that dress you guys made me get and go to the Bronze with Xander, Dawn, and…. Can't believe I'm gonna say this… and Faith."

"Yeah, B," shouted Faith from the kitchen, "you, me, the pipsqueak, and the Xan-man… meeting hot guys and chicks… I'm in."

"There will be no meeting hot guys," shouted Buffy as she looked towards the sitting room situated at the rear of the living room that led to the kitchen. It wasn't too long before they heard footsteps running from the kitchen to the sitting room as Faith appeared with a grin on her face.

"So you're into hot chicks now?" asked Faith as Buffy's mouth opened wide while Dawn and Xander, who were in the hallway that led to the sitting room, covered their mouths and chuckled at the expression on Buffy's face. It was then that Dawn put up her hand, stepped forward, and spoke.

"I'd rather have a hot guy," said Dawn.

"No," said Buffy before she shook her head and looked at Faith, telling her not to eavesdrop.

"Can't help it, B," said Faith shrugging her shoulders, "had to multi-task in prison. Had to keep hearing for anything that would take me out, and I mean had a few run-ins but I didn't kill them… anyway, hearing stuff helped me survive."

"The strength helped too," said Tara.

"And the counselling," said Faith shrugging her shoulders, before she headed back in the kitchen, with Buffy watching her leave. She then turned to Xander and Dawn with her hands on her hips, and just stared at the two of them with an eye-brow raised.

"Fine," said Dawna as she raised her hands up in frustration before turning around, "I'll look at hot girls, and not at hot guys… sheeesh."

"Not helping," said Buffy as Dawn walked away grumbling while Xander chuckled before telling Buffy and the others that he was doing well.

"But I'll be your wingman tomorrow," said Xander pointing at Buffy before he turned around and walked into the kitchen. Shaking her head, Buffy then looked at Willow and Tara how were chuckling away, and narrowed her eyes at them.

Buffy knew that something was up, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

It would be later that night that Buffy and the others would watch the coverage of the explosion in the news. It was billed as a gas explosion in a financial services firm, and that would be the explanation until Giles arrived the next day in the afternoon.

**The Summers Home, 0730 hours.**

Buffy walked down the stairs in blue jeans and a red shirt while she was wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She smelt the coffee in the air when she got up in her sushi pyjamas and the change while she realized that it was a weekend. Shrugging her shoulders as she got out of bed, the blonde Slayer opened the door to her room and walked down the stairs without changing since she had every intention of wanting to go back to bed since she was off today for working at the Magic Box. Instead, Fred and Faith would be working there under Wesley while Buffy just relaxed with Dawn before they had to go to the Bronze later that night.

Once Buffy reached the foyer, she looked at the three suitcases, and realized that Willow and Tara were waiting on Colonel Sheppard.

"Willow? Tara?" asked Buffy as she looked inside the living room, and then she went to the dining room when Tara called out to her from the kitchen. Buffy say them waving at her when the doorbell rang, and the blonde then turned again into the foyer, and opened the door to Colonel Sheppard who was in civilian clothes waiting in the porch.

"Hey," said the Colonel who was carrying some bags, and a long box under his left arm, "can I come in?"

Yeah," said Buffy as she stepped to one side before looking back over her shoulder to tell Willow and Tara that the Colonel was here to pick them up. It was then that Tara, Dawn, Xander, and Willow rushed from the kitchen with Willow carrying two cups of coffee, one of which she handed over to the blonde Slayer who thanked her before taking a sip and stepping back.

'Hey Tara," said the Colonel as he put the stuff down, and Dawn went to check what was in the bags while the Colonel hugged his sister.

"Hey," whispered Tara into his ear, "glad you're safe."

"Xander," said the Colonel as he shook the young man's hand before he hugged Willow.

The Colonel then received a hug from Dawn before Buffy shook her head and pulled back her sister, while the Slayer herself just nodded at the Air Force officer.

"So," said the Colonel as he looked at Tara, "just talked to dad, he said that the plane's ready to take us to the Hamptons."

"A plane?" asked Buffy, Xander, and Dawn together.

"We insisted that we take connecting flights from here," said Tara, "but dad and Dave insisted on sending the plane over so… yeah."

"Sweet," said Dawn before she looked at the Colonel, "so, John… your date meeting you there?"

"I… ummn…" said the Colonel as he suddenly reached for a bag and took out some items, some pottery that the Athosians had made, for Dawn, Willow and Tara who were smiling at the intricate workmanship of the items in their hand. The Colonel then handed Xander a bag that was sealed with tape; it was something that the young man looked at with confusion on his face before he looked back up at the Colonel who asked him to open it. Xander weighed the bag in his arms, and was amazed at how light it was before he unsealed it, and then looked inside… before looking at the Colonel again with his eyes wide open.

"What is it?" asked Willow.

"Armour," said Xander as he took out a chest piece, one for his back, arms, and legs, "this is… so light. What's it made off?"

"A material we found at the place I'm at," lied the Colonel. While he was telling the young man that they had sent back the materials to DARPA to build light armour for soldiers since it was light, and extremely strong on their own; even capable of stopping a nine-milimeter round. He continued to say that DARPA needed to get it tested, and that his boss had recommended that Xander be the test subject on how it works as an everyday piece of armour. The truth was that the armour was one that the newest member of the Atlantis expedition, a man named Ronon, had acquired after telling him about Xander and that he was helping Buffy fight evil without any formal training. The large man told the Colonel that he knew where he could get some Satedan armour, the armour used by his people before being wiped out by the Wraith. With some modifications, the SGC and Homeworld had seen it fit to let Xander have the armour as a piece of protection as thanks for helping protect the world from supernatural threats. Once the Colonel had finished with the cover story, everyone was looking at him in surprise, with the only smirk coming from Tara who knew that everything the Colonel told Xander was a lie… except for the part where he said that the armour would protect him.

"It's been tested in battle simulations," said the Colonel, "this will be its first field test in a non-combat role. If it works as well as we think it will, you'll see police, firemen… name it.. they'll be wearing this armour."

"Sweet," said Xander as he looked at the pieces and was smiling at how flexible it was. He then narrowed his eyebrows and asked the Colonel how he knew his size.

"Just a guess," said the Colonel, "just try it on, and if it doesn't fit well… then we could tailor it some more, I'll give you a number to call, but I think it's gonna fit."

"Thanks," said Xander.

"Try it on, Xand," said Willow as the Colonel nodded his head before Xander ran up the stairs.

"Buffy," said the Colonel as he handed the Slayer the long wooden case, "this is for you, we've made friends with one of the tribes in the place we're in… I mean they're native to the place so they've been helping us a lot, and well…. One of them's a good friend of mine. And she, well… she made that specifically for you."

"What?" asked Buffy as she opened the case, and looked at the single handled weapon. Buffy looked at the weapon with her mouth open, and then back up at the Colonel while Tara, Dawn, and Willow stood behind the Slayer to look at the weapon that looked like a single bladed axe, however the blade looked extremely sharp, and was curved elegantly.

"It looks dangerous," said Dawn as Buffy closed the lid and then looked at the Colonel.

"It's one of the tribe's weapons," said the Colonel; however, the truth was that the weapon was one of many that was found on Atlantis. There were numerous bladed weapons, as well as staffs and even fighting sticks that Teyla was an expert with…. But the Colonel told the Slayer a cover story about the weapon in the case was one that was being used by the tribe they had met.

"Thanks," said Buffy as she looked at the closed box again. It was then that Xander ran down the stairs saying that the armour fit him like a glove.

"Neat," said the young man as Buffy showed him the weapon that the Colonel had gotten for her. He then looked up at the older man who was nervously looking around before Xander smirked and said, "cool."

"Yeah," said Buffy as she looked down at the box, "it's really nice and…"

"Listen," said the Colonel as Tara grabbed Willow and yelped, which led to Willow yelping as she jumped up and down excitedly.

"You guys okay?" asked Buffy while Xander and Dawn looked back at the two witches; Tara was rubbing her hands and Willow was holding to Tara's left arm tightly while grinning.

"Yeah," said the Colonel as he grimaced, "I was actually think about how to ask this… but over the email didn't sound too good and well… I got my leave today and…"

"What?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Colonel.

"Oooh," said Xander as he pointed at Colonel Sheppard.

"What?" asked Dawn as she looked at Xander, and then at Willow and Tara, and only then did she come to a realization and raised her hands in frustration, "oh, come on."

"What?" asked a clueless Buffy as she looked around, and then at the Colonel.

"You wanna be my plus-one?" asked the Colonel as she looked at a wide-eyed Buffy.

"Me?" asked the Slayer, "I… I… I have Slaying and…"

"You've got Faith," said Willow.

"Dawn doesn't have a sitter," said Buffy as she looked at the Colonel while shaking her head.

"I can look after her," said Xander as he raised his hand while Dawn insisted she didn't need a sitter, "and besides, there's Faith and Fred here… Wesley too, and Lorne. We'll get some pizza's and a movie. We'll have a fun time while Faith and Wesley patrol."

"I haven't packed," said Buffy softly as she continued to look the Colonel.

"We packed for you," said Willow excited as she pointed at the third suitcase. That was when Buffy looked away from the Colonel, and then at the third suitcase, and then back at Tara and Willow, "your dress is in there and everything."

"Oh," said Tara as Xander and Willow chuckled at the look on Buffy's face, "we packed while you were asleep… used a cloaking spell… me and Tara… it was so easy since you're a deep sleeper."

"I…" said the Slayer before she looked at the Colonel again, "my hair."

"We've got an appointment there," said Tara, "which is why we're leaving now. The wedding's at three."

"You planned this?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Colonel who shrugged his shoulders, "what if I said no?"

"Well," sighed Dawn as she rubbed her forehead in frustration, "since you technically didn't say no; meaning you just said yes.. and…."

"Dawn," said Buffy while she looked at the Colonel, "not helping."

"Then I'd probably have to take someone that Willow and Tara aren't comfortable with since they don't know her well," said the Colonel, "it's not a date… just two friends going to a wedding. As guests, I mean."

"So," said Buffy as she crossed her arms over her chest, "not a date?"

"No," said the Colonel, "what do you say?"

"Come on, Buff," said Willow as she put her hands on Buffy's shoulders, "we packed everything you like… even have that special stuff you got for…"

"Will," said Buffy as she looked at her friend with her eyes wide open, "it's not a date."

The Scoobies, except for Dawn, were all grinning as Buffy turned back to look at the Colonel who looked at the Slayer with a questioning look on his face.

"All right," said Buffy nodding her head, "I'll go… but I am not catching the bouquet."

The Colonel just smiled as Buffy sighed and then helped Tara and Willow with their suitcases, the blonde witch patting the Colonel's should as she walked past, and Willow grinning at him.

"I'll see the both of you tomorrow," said Colonel Sheppard nodding his head as Dawn waved at the man. The older man nodded at the girl, and the young man before he left the house, and then headed into the awaiting SUV.

TBC.

 


	39. Chapter 39

**Sunnydale Airport, 0800 hours.**

It had taken twenty minutes for Colonel Sheppard to drive, along with his passengers which included Buffy, Willow, and Tara, to the Sunnydale Airport. They had driven in through a secured entrance and headed straight to a hanger on the South side of the facility. The Colonel drove in silence while Buffy, Willow, and Tara were talking to each other before he stopped at the hanger where there was a man in a pilots' uniform waving him down. It was when the Colonel stopped at the open hanger did the three girls stop talking at the pilot opened the rear door before motioning to some men behind him to grab the suitcases and then put them on the plane that was waiting inside the hanger.

"Yep," said the Colonel as he looked out the driver side window at the jet, "I knew it was gonna be his Gulfstream."

"Ummm…" said Tara as Willow, Buffy, and then she got off the car while another man opened the door for Colonel Sheppard before he got out and then nodded ta the man. The Colonel then stepped forward while the man got into the SUV, and then drove it off.

"Mr. Sheppard," said the Pilot as he shook Colonel Sheppard's hand before going on to shake Tara's hand, who then introduced the pilot to Buffy and Willow who were still standing with their mouths slightly open as they waved at the Pilot and then looked over his shoulder at the plane in the hanger.

"Please," said the Pilot as he motioned for the others to follow him, "this way."

Tara smiled at the Colonel before she walked with Willow, following the Pilot, while Colonel Sheppard and Buffy walked behind the two young women. They then saw their suitcase being pulled towards the plane which were then placed into the hold. It was a few seconds later that the group reached the stairs that led into the plane, with Tara walking up first, followed by Willow, Buffy, and then the Colonel who was talking with the Pilot as they walked up the stairs. Upon entering the plane, Colonel Sheppard saw the three young woman looking dumbstruck at the interior of the plane; from the seats, to the long table that stretched on one side of the plane. They were greeted by a female flight Attendant who smiled and led Tara, Buffy, and Willow to their seats before turning back as the Pilot finished talking to the Colonel. The flight Attendant approached the Colonel, and then smiled at him before patting her hand lightly on his arm, and then motioning towards the seats.

"This way, Mr. Sheppard," said the young woman in the uniform as the Pilot closed the cockpit door. The Colonel nodded his head and sat down next to Buffy with the Flight Attendant looking into his eyes. Colonel Sheppard then thanked her and put his seatbelt on just as the stair-door to the plane closed. Once the door had closed, the Flight Attendant leaned in and told Buffy, Willow, and Tara that she'll be coming around to get anything they'd like to drink once the plane reached cruising altitude.

"Thanks," said Tara nodding her head before the Flight attendant looked at the Colonel and gave a seductive smile.

"Mr. Sheppard," said the Flight Attendant, "I'll be coming for your drink order too."

"Thanks," replied the Colonel who felt his head getting hot while sensing that the girls, including the blonde Slayer to his right side, were all looking at him, "ummm, yeah."

The Flight Attendant then straightened up before walking to the rear of the plane, and opened a curtain that led to the galley. In the meantime, Colonel Sheppard looked at Willow, Tara, and then at Buffy before saying that he didn't do anything.

"I swear," said the Colonel as he put his hands up while the Pilot was saying over the P.A system that they had received clearance to taxi to the runway, after which they would be taking off for San Francisco where Dave and Kathy were going to be married at the Sheppard's childhood home. Buffy looked at the Colonel with an eyebrow raised before she looked out the window as the plane started moving.

"I swear," mouthed the Colonel to Willow and Tara who smiled and nodded their heads at the Colonel. It wasn't too long before the plane took off from the Sunnydale Airport with Buffy grinning at Tara and Willow, before they looked out the window as the plane flew higher, and higher, into the air. The blonde Slayer then looked at Colonel Sheppard who was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed while the plane moved up and down after hitting some light turbulence.

It was five minutes later that the Flight Attendant, who Buffy was glowering at as she handed the Slayer a drink. Buffy turned her head towards Willow and Tara when the Attendant turned to the Colonel with a wide smile on her face, and asked if she'd like anything else to drink.

"No, thanks," replied the Colonel as the Flight Attendant nodded her head before walking past him while brushing her hand on the man's shoulder.

"Looks like someone's interested in you," said Buffy as she sipped her drink before she looked at Tara and smiled.

"Looks like someone's jealous," said Willow leaning forward towards Buffy, while she took a sip and raised an eyebrow at Buffy.

"Willow, Buffy," said Tara as she looked at her brother, "you're making John nervous."

"Sorry," said Willow as she sat back on her leather seat while Buffy stuck her tongue out at the redhead.

"Thanks for asking me," said Buffy as she looked at the Colonel, before looking at Willow and Tara, "although it would have been nice if my two friends gave me a heads up."

"Technically we kinda did," said Tara as she put her hand up while Buffy narrowed her eyes at the blonde witch, "I mean… come on, a new dress that looks like that? For the Bronze? Really?"

"Now I'm intrigued," said Colonel Sheppard as he looked at Buffy who looked back at him with eyes wide open, and her face slowly turning red, "what's so good about the dress that…"

"Nothing," said Buffy shaking her head, "absolutely nothing and…."

"It's so nice," said Willow as she looked at Buffy, and then at Colonel Sheppard, "it really shows off Buffy's…"

"Willow," said Buffy with her eyes wide open as Tara chuckled while Colonel Sheppard coughed.

"Will," said Tara nudging Willow's arm, "maybe we should leave it a surprise."

"True," said Willow as she looked at Buffy while raising her glass of champagne to her best friend, "it shall all be revealed."

"So," said Buffy hoping to change the topic, "we talked a lot about… I mean a lot about stuff… in the car. But.. where are we staying?"

"My family's home," said Colonel Sheppard as he looked at Buffy, and then nodded at Tara and Willow, "Willow and Tara's got a room…"

"Actually we were thinking," said Willow, "that it would be better if we took separate rooms."

"Why?" asked Colonel Sheppard.

"We haven't told dad or Dave," said Tara sheepishly as she motioned between herself and Willow before leaning forward, and lowering her voice, "about us."

"You should tell him and Dave," said Buffy.

"It was our idea," said Tara softly as she motioned between herself and Willow, "I mean Kathy and I don't go on that well and… well, I'm afraid that she won't be able to handle it and the news will spread and… and…"

"Hurt Mr. Sheppard and Dave," said Willow, "I mean all their friends are gonna be there, and Dave's friends too, and Kathy's family and friends. So.. yeah, we agreed it's better to just wait."

"And when are you gonna tell them?"

"Maybe the day we get married?" said Tara sheepishly while Buffy chuckled, and the Colonel frowned.

"I think Dad and Dave will be able to take it," said Colonel Sheppard leaning forward.

"Or maybe we'll let it lie for a year," said Tara, "and then Willow and I tell him… you know… we make sure his heart's strong to take that shock."

"He's been going to the doctor," said Colonel Sheppard, "his heart is strong."

"Take your time," said Buffy as she smiled at Willow and Tara before she leaned forward and wiped the smile off her face, "now.. on to other pressing business. I can't believe that you, Tara Sheppard, are not part of Kathy's wedding party."

"Yeah," said Colonel Sheppard, "and I had to find that news from Willow."

"Sorry?" said Tara sheepishly before shaking her head, "I mean it's all right I guess, she said that she already had all the bridesmaid and maid of honour dresses for her friends who she asked months in advance before anyone knew I existed. So I guess I understand… I mean Dave tried everything to convince her, but she said that the place didn't have those dresses anymore."

"You know that whole story from Kathy was bull, right?" asked Buffy.

"Oh yea," said Tara nodding her head, "but it doesn't matter; I'm going with my brother to my other older brother's wedding with the two people I care about… of course I care about Dawn, Xander, Fred, Wesley, Lorne and…"

"Don't say Faith," said Willow shaking her head.

"Give her another chance, Will," said Tara softly while Colonel Sheppard just leaned back and looked at the two witches, "her aura's different than before… it's more calm, more at ease than the last time I met her."

"Still, we should be careful," said Willow.

"We are," replied Buffy as she leaned back on her seat.

It a few hours later that the plane landed in San Francisco, and from there the group took a car so that the three young ladies could get their hair done first. Colonel Sheppard had the unfortunate duty of staying in the salon reading a magazine while waiting for his sister, Willow, and Buffy, to get their hair done. It was after nearly an hour, and the Colonel nodding off, that Colonel Sheppard felt someone tapping his shoulder before he opened his eyes to find three lovely ladies looking back at him

"So," said Tara as she patted her newly styled hair, "what do you think?"

"You look great," replied Colonel Sheppard as he looked at Tara, and then at Willow, and Buffy, "all of you look great. Now, let's get out of here."

"Yeah," said Tara as she and Willow walked out smiling, while the Colonel continued to look at Buffy with her long straight hair, with curls falling on her shoulders.

"Hey," said Buffy as she tapped Colonel Sheppard's shoulder, "you ready?"

"Yeah," he replied nodding his head as he walked with Buffy out the door, "you look great by the way."

"You said that already," replied Buffy with a smirk.

"I did, didn't I," replied the Colonel before the four of them entered the SUV, and then drove to the Sheppard Family home; a sprawling estate with the main house front and center, surrounded by various other smaller buildings. They could hear the buzz of people as the Colonel parked the car and then the group went into the house with their suitcases. It was in the large foyer with the two curved staircases on either side that they met up with both Patrick and Dave.

"Dad, Dave," said the Colonel as he nodded at the both of them while Tara hugged her father and brother. She then re-introduced Willow, and Buffy; the two young women waving their hands while Patrick and Dave waved back, saying that they hadn't forgotten them.

"We'll go get changed," said Tara before Dave kissed her on the cheek again, and then stepped back and nodded his head, "and I'll go visit Kathy with Willow and Buffy."

"She may be getting a bit nervous," said Dave as Tara gave a little smirk, "and I'm sorry about…"

"It's all right, Dave," said Tara referring to her not being part of Kathy's wedding party, "she said she already has her friends lined up, and the dresses weren't available at the last minute. I understand, and we really should be getting changed into our dresses."

"All right," replied Patrick as Dave nodded his head, "and I should warn you that a few of the guests would like to meet you, Tara."

"You're all that they talk about," said Dave as he and Patrick led them inside the house, which was buzzing with people who were making last minute additions to the decorations, "I think that a few of dad's friends have son's who want to ask you out."

"Oh," said Tara as she looked at Willow, "I… umm…"

"But," said Dave as he looked over his shoulder at his sister, "I told them that you were already seeing someone."

"Oh," replied Tara as she narrowed her eyes at Dave, who then looked at the confused Colonel, and then at Patrick who chuckled, "who am I seeing?"

"I'm sure you'll tell us when the time is right, Tara," said Patrick as he stopped and turned around before placing his hands on Tara's cheeks, "perhaps you should introduce Willow and Buffy to Kathy, and then… well, Dave?"

"Tara," said Dave as he put his hand into his left pocket, "after Kathy said she wasn't able to find a place for you, I kind of talked to my best man and told him what happened. I asked him if he would mind sharing the duty of carrying the rings with you."

'Dave?" said Tara with a smile on her face as the Colonel put his hand on his brother's shoulder, while Buffy and Willow held on to Tara as Dave took a box out of his pocket, and held it out between two of his fingers.

"Jeremy is holding onto the ring for Kathy," said Dave as he stepped forward and put the box in the palm of Tara's hand, "I want you to have mine."

"Yes," said an excited Tara as she hugged her brother tightly.

"And I'll be right behind you," said Colonel Sheppard as he looked at Tara, who looked back at him with a smile on her face.

It was soon that Tara, Buffy and Willow headed to their rooms to change before Tara introduced Kathy to her friends. And that particular meeting went as well as could be expected as Buffy and Willow could feel the chill between Tara and the bride. It was in Kathy's bridal chamber where she was surrounded by her friends, that the bride apologized to Tara before saying that she had done everything she could to include her in her party. Kathy repeated her excuse that the shop had run out of the dresses that the other bridesmaids were wearing; and a last minute change would have been a nightmare since they'd have to search for better looking bridesmaid dresses than what they had right now.

Tara could see Kathy's insincerity in her aura, but being that this was Kathy's wedding to her brother, Tara didn't want to tell her that she was lying. Instead, the blonde witch just nodded her head before offering her congratulations; as did Willow and Buffy, both of whom were told by Tara before they even entered the room not to do anything. They were told that this day was for her brother, and if he wanted to get married to an 'ice queen', then that was his decision.

It was thirty minutes before the wedding that Tara, Buffy, and Willow walked down the stairs to the large foyer where Colonel Sheppard was waiting in his suit. The man smiled at Tara and Willow, and then looked at Buffy in the dress that she had gotten the previous day.

And he finally knew what Tara was talking about as Buffy walked down in a dark blue dress that went down to her knees. He caught a glimpse of the lace on the top part of the dress, and then he looked at her smiling face, and hazel eyes, and then at her hair.

And then he shook his head, hoping that the Slayer didn't catch him looking.

"Hi," said the Colonel as he caught the scent of vanilla from the blonde Slayer after she had walked towards him with Tara, and Willow, while she brushed her blonde hair behind her ears, "you look great."

"You don't look bad yourself," said the Slayer as her face turned red while Tara and Willow could only grin.

"Oh knock it off you two," said Buffy narrowing her eyes at Tara and Willow, while Colonel Sheppard looked at Buffy before shaking his head again to stop looking at her legs. The Colonel took in a deep breath and then walked over to Tara; telling her that they were needed with the others since the wedding was about to start.

"We'll see you guys outside," said Tara before she walked away with Colonel Sheppard, while Willow and Buffy walked outside to the large backyard where there were already people seated down. The both of them noticed Patrick at the front talking to a few people as some last minute decorations were being taken care off on one of the seven archways that made up the middle aisle, archways that the groomsmen and bridesmaids would be walking under to the front alter. Willow and Buffy were about to sit at the back when Patrick noticed them, and he waved them over to the front. The two young women walked over to the front as the people that Patrick was talking to shook his hands and then walked to take their seats. Buffy and Willow then smiled at Patrick before taking their seats next to the older man.

**The Magic Box, 1530 hours.**

Faith was sitting on the table in the middle of the magic shop playing cards with Xander, while Wesley was at the cash register helping a customer. Dawn and Fred were in the stacks fixing some things around while Spike was still in the basement, this time he was talking to Lorne who wanted to know more about what was happening in regards to his soul. It was a few minutes later that the door to the shop opened and an extremely tired Giles walked into the shop carrying a backpack, and he was soon followed by three young women; the last of whom closed the door behind her while Wesley looked at Giles in surprise, as did the other Scoobies and Faith.

"Mr. Giles?" asked Wesley before shaking his head and then handing the older lady who was waiting for her packed items her change. Once the old woman had left, Giles told the three young women to take a seat at the table before telling Wesley that he was at the Summers home but found no-one there.

"Where's Buffy?" asked Giles as he handed his bag to one of the young women who stood to one side, the three of whom then quickly stepped back as Lorne, and then Spike, walked through the back office door after hearing the sound of the door chime and multiple footsteps on the floor. The three young women were looking at Lorne with their eyes wide open while the green skinned demon waved his hands and told them not to worry; that he wasn't going to harm them.

"He's a pussy cat," said Faith as she put a card down and then looked up at Xander whose eyes opened wide, "gin. Got'ya, Xan-man."

"Hey," replied Xander as he put down his cards in frustration.

"Not my fault you suck, Xan-man," said Faith shrugging her shoulders before she reached down and picked up the cards on the table, and then started to shuffle them.

"Told you so," replied Spike.

"Shut up, Spike," said Xander while Faith looked at the Vampire who narrowed his eyes at Xander.

"Wesley? About Buffy?" asked Giles once again.

"She's gone to San Francisco with Willow and Tara," said Faith as she started to deal the cards between herself, Xander, and then Spike who decided to join them without an invitation… an action that made Faith and Xander glare at him. However, Faith still dealt the cards to him while telling Giles that Buffy was Colonel Sheppard's plus one for Dave's wedding.

Wesley noticed the worried look on Giles' face after Faith, who was looking at her cards, told him about Buffy's trip to the wedding. The two watchers then looked at each other and it was then that Wesley realized that Giles had really, really bad news.

"Mr. Giles?" asked Wesley as Fred and Dawn walked towards the counter, "something has happened, hasn't it?"

"The apocalypse has begun," said Giles as everyone stopped what they were doing, including Faith, and looked at Giles who was looking back at all of them with a solemn look on his face, "the First Evil has destroyed the Watchers Council."

"What?" asked Wesley; the man had been out of the Council for a few years ever since the night after Mayor Wilkins' ascension. Wesley was thinking to himself that the Council, even though they had rubbed their hands off him all those years ago, could have still called him for help; but right now, there were several other questions running through his mind.. some of which he voiced out loud, "when? How? I mean…"

"Soon after you were fired," said Giles, "the Council changed the location of its headquarters to a location inside London. There was an explosion that leveled the new building and…"

"I saw the news," said Fred as Faith got up and walked towards Giles in surprise, "something about a financial services firm being blown up and…"

"It was the Council," said Giles, "it was right after I left.. I was taking some books on the First out of the library and… and that wasn't the only one destroyed. Watchers and their Potential Slayers are being murdered by the First's agents and… and I'm sorry I didn't call any of you earlier. I didn't know who we could trust, which is why I gathered four potentials who were sent to me and…"

"One of us died on the way out of the safe house," said one of the young women.

"The First wanted to show us it could hit us from anywhere," said Giles, "we killed its agent, but… anyway, these are the three potentials who I've managed to bring here for their protection. Kennedy, Molly, and Annabelle are the Potential Slayers."

"So these are the baby Slayers, huh?" said Faith as she looked at the three young women before nodding her head as she introduced herself, "hey, I'm Faith."

"You're a Slayer?" asked Kennedy as she looked at Faith up and down, "not impressed."

"Yea, well… not here to impress you," said Faith before she looked at Giles, "what else do you know, G-man."

"Perhaps we should inform Buffy of what's happening," said Giles.

And before anyone else could speak up, Faith told Giles that it was better if Buffy had a day to just enjoy herself.

"Knowing about this apocalypse crap will just stop her from what she needs to do to get that stick out of her…." said Faith as she stopped herself, "look, G-man… let her have this night. I know I'm not everyone's favourite person, but even I know that B's gonna drop everything and come running. And if it's as bad as you say it is, then we need B rested. If she say's anything about why we didn't call her, I'll take the hit."

Xander looked at Faith and wondered what angle she was playing, however, he also knew that Buffy would really drop everything and run back to Sunnydale. And while she would insist Tara and Willow remain at the wedding, he knew that they would still follow Buffy back to the city; ruining their break. So Xander did something that he thought he would never do, he agreed with Faith.

"Okay," said Faith as she, and the others looked at Xander, "that feels weird coming from you."

Xander just shrugged his shoulders before leaning back on his chair.

"If the Council's really gone," said Wesley, "I suggest we call Tara's people… tell them what has happened."

"I have the emergency number that Dr. Weir gave me," said Giles, "I'll call them about what has happened."

"You want me to start training these guys?" asked Faith as she nodded at the Potential Slayers.

"I'm sure they're hungry," said Fred as she fixed her glasses at the three young women, after which she smiled at Faith, "I'll take them to Buffy's house, and… well… I'm sure there's some things to eat. Then you could talk about training, Faith."

"I'll make something," replied Dawn before the five of them left, leaving Faith to tell the Potentials that she'll talk to all of them later that night. Once the front door closed and the five of them were heading into Fred's car, Faith turned to Giles and Wesley. She told them about the time when Buffy faced the First for the first time, as well as it's agents.

"She said something about a place where these blind guys were worshiping some kind of an alter underground," said Faith, "something about the plants and grass on the topside were all dead and…"

"That's what I have read in some of the books," said Giles, "it's a sign that the agents, these Bringers, are close by."

"I suggest some recon?" asked Faith with an eyebrow raised.

"I'll accompany you tonight," said Wesley as Faith nodded her head.

"I'll go with you too," said Xander as Faith turned and looked at him before shaking her head.

"G-Man said that these Potentials are coming here," said Faith, "you are the third best trained person in this little group behind me and Buffy. You have the weapons the military gave you in Buffy's house so you need to stay and defend them, Fred, and Dawn… just in case."

"You sure?" asked Xander as Faith nodded her head.

"I'm expendable," said Faith shrugging her shoulders, "and if B finds out that I took you on a mission that may kill me… then she'll kill me herself if I don't die. No, it's better if Wesley and I go while G-man talks to Willow's witch teacher and try to figure out a way to beat the First."

"I'll inform the military of what's happened first," said Giles, "and… and you are not expendable, Faith."

Faith just shrugged her shoulders before she and Wesley made plans to out that night; while Giles would head over to the Summers home and meet with Willow's magical mentor there to discuss a plan of action.

"Let's do what we need to do," said Faith.

TBC.

 


	40. Chapter 40

**The Sheppard Residence, 1530 hours.**

Tara was standing next to Jeremy, Dave's best man, and behind her was Colonel Sheppard in his suit as they looked at the proceedings. Tara looked on as Dave and Kathy stood before the priest and then she looked over her shoulder at Willow who was looking at the proceedings, and then she looked back at the blonde witch, and gave a small smile. Tara smiled as well at Willow, before she looked at Dave and Kathy once again. She noticed that Kathy was glancing over in her direction occasionally, leading the blonde witch to discretely nod her head, and give off a small smile; an action that led Kathy to roll her eyes upwards.

'Snob,' thought Tara to herself as she looked at the ring box in her hand, and recalled the quick introduction she had with the best man, who had handed her the red velvet box. Tara was standing behind Jeremy when she leaned forward and asked if he was willing to help her with a magic trick for her brother. Intrigued, the best man agreed, and then the both of them talked to Colonel Sheppard.

"This is going to be fun," the Colonel said with a wide grin. Tara then turned to the doors to see Willow and Buffy sitting with her father in the front row, and then she saw Dave standing at the alter. A few seconds later they were walking through the archways with Tara walking next to one of the bridesmaids.

Back to the present time, the couple had finished their vows, and the Priest had asked for the rings. Jeremy handed one of the rings to Dave, who then placed it on Kathy's finger. Dave then turned to a confused Tara who was patting down her dress while Kathy's smile vanished when she noticed the look on Tara's face as she showed the couple her empty palms.

"Tara?" whispered Dave, "the ring?"

"Oh, right," said Tara shaking her head as she brushed past Jeremy, and reached up to Dave's ear, "there it is, sorry. It kinda ran away."

Tara pulled her hand back and then opened it to show the ring resting in the palm of her hand. Dave smiled as he leaned forward and kissed Tara on the cheek before the blonde witch stepped back into line while she looked at Kathy glaring at her while Dave's back was turned. All Tara could do was smile back at Kathy, and laugh internally when the glare vanished… only to be replaced by a smile when Dave turned to face her.

Willow and Buffy noticed the exchange between Kathy and Tara, leading to the Slayer leaning towards the redhead and whispering into her ear.

"Was that magic?" asked Buffy.

"Nah," said Willow shaking her hand, "classic sleight of hand trick; Tara showed me once."

"How'd she do it?" whispered Buffy as the couple, now husband and wife, then kissed while everyone clapped.

"We don't reveal our secrets," said Willow as she stood up, along with everyone else as Dave and Kathy walked back through the archways, and into the house again. It was then that an announcer said that drinks would be served soon at the reception on the East wing of the house.

"That was interesting," said Patrick as he smiled at Tara who had just shook hands with Jeremy before he left to get some drinks at the bar, "Tara, I never knew Laura taught you that trick."

"She did,' said Tara as she stood next to Willow, "she wanted me to use it to make friends and… and well…"

"She made a lot of friends when she came to Sunnydale, Mr. Sheppard," said Willow nodding her head while the Colonel and Buffy stood together.

"I already told you, Willow. Just call me, Patrick" said the older man with a smile, "remember?"

"Sorry," squeaked Willow as Tara chuckled.

"Now come on," said Patrick, "off to the reception we go."

"Indeed," said Tara as she wrapped her arm around Patrick's left arm, while Willow wrapped her arm around Patrick's right arm, and the three of them then walked towards the section of the home that was holding reception. Buffy and Colonel Sheppard were a few steps behind them, with the Slayer looking at the Colonel while they were walking before asking him if he was leaving soon.

"Tomorrow night," said the Colonel nodding his head as he looked at Buffy, "why?"

"Just wondering," said the blonde Slayer as she continued walking while the Colonel just looked at her. Buffy smirked before looking back at him with an eyebrow raised, "what?"

"That's a weird question to ask someone out of the blue," said the Colonel.

"No it's not," said Buffy.

"Yes, it is and…"

"Oh for crying out loud," said Willow as she, overhearing the both of them, turned around and waved her hand at Buffy and the Colonel, "John, Buffy wants to know if you'll just run away like Riley did if you guys started dating. And Buffy, John's a catch so you better say yes if he does ask you out; or you ask him out and break the mould of the guy always asking the girl out."

The Colonel and Buffy just stared at Willow while Tara could only chuckle as Patrick coughed. Willow then said that her job for the day as Buffy's best friend was done.

"Shall we?" asked Willow as she looked at Patrick, and then at Tara who was holding in her laughter as she glanced at the terrified look on Buffy's face.

"We shall," said Patrick as he and the two young women walked back to the house; and close behind them were Buffy and the Colonel. The two of them just looked at each other for a few seconds, before they followed Tara and the others.

"So," said the Colonel.

"My experience with military guys haven't been so… good," said Buffy softly as they walked together while hearing Tara laughing at something that Patrick told her, "I mean they had that whole thing with… you know. And I was seeing a guy in the army and… and let's just say that I couldn't give him the attention he wanted from me. And that was even after I found out about him being a part of… you know what."

"Oh," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, who looked at the green grass with a hint of regret, "I can't tell you what I really do even if you do have the clearance, and I can't really tell you where I'm going tomorrow."

"Very far?" asked Buffy as she looked at Colonel Sheppard.

"Very far," said Colonel Sheppard as Buffy nodded her head, "but hey, we're still catching up on each other's lives through email so…"

"Yeah," replied Buffy as Tara ran over to Colonel Sheppard, and put her hands behind her back while walking next to the both of them.

"Dad asked that he talk with Willow alone," said Tara as she held onto Colonel Sheppard's hand, "I hope you don't mind that…"

"No," said Buffy and the Colonel together.

The five of them entered the house, and walked the next few minutes towards the reception area which was already full. Tara looked at the band in one corner of the great hall, followed by a bar, tables, chairs, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; it was like she was in a different world as the Colonel held on to her hand. The both of them looked at each other, Tara smiling at her brother, before they followed Buffy, Willow, and Patrick to their table which was among those at the edge of an open area; there was nothing there between the tables and the band.

A large area just for dancing

As they reached the table, it was then that various people approached Patrick; all of them wanted to finally meet his daughter. It was Patrick who introduced the nervous Tara to his friends, and their children… the young men in particular taking an interest in Tara as far as Willow could see. It was the slightly jealous expression on the redhead's face that made the blonde Slayer chuckle. It would be a few minutes later that everyone would be standing as the new husband and wife walked into the reception hall; Tara was standing with Willow, Buffy, and her family as she clapped her hands together as Dave and Kathy took to the dance floor. She watched the both of them dance while holding on to Willow's arm, and it wasn't too long before the guests were invited to dance.

With the sound of soft music wafting through the air, Tara danced with her family and friends.

**Home World Security, Pentagon, 1600 hours.**

General O'Neill was looking at a monitor that had a digitised map of the United States, and then he looked at another monitor where there was another map of the planet itself with many areas on the Continental United States showing pin-pricks of red, with the largest concentration in the Colorado Springs area. The General was shaking his head as the people around him hurried from one desk to another trying to keep ahead of the immediate danger to the planet from the Ori.

A plague.

A plague that has already infected a few personnel at the SGC, a plague that had already killed the team that first encountered the Prior that infected them without even knowing about it. A plague that they still haven't found the cure to, and required the voluntary descension of the Ancient known as Orlin.

The Pentagon couldn't do much to prevent the story from being leaked to the press, so they and the CDC were in complete damage control mode. A story was being released that this was a virulent form of the flu that escaped from a facility in Colorado Springs, and they were doing everything they could to find a cure. He rubbed the back of his head in frustration before he ordered that the SGC be notified that all SG teams that were off-world be directed to the Alpha site.

"Earth is a no-go," shouted the General as he looked at his people, "all incoming teams are to be redirected to the Alpha Site. Tell General Landry that only teams in a Code Red situation are to be allowed through. Other than that, the Alpha Site is our only hope. Get to it.. move it!"

"Sir," said a female lieutenant walked up to the General, "you have a call from a Rupert Giles, he said it's urgent, sir."

"Tell him I'll call him back later," said the General as he looked at the screens again before whispering, "we have a much bigger problem."

"I told him that you were tied up, sir," said the young woman, "but he wanted me to tell you the Council's been destroyed, and the planet is facing an apocalypse."

"Yea, I know and… wait, what?" asked the General as he looked at the young woman in surprise, "what do you mean apocalypse? How did he know about this and.."

"Sir," said the lieutenant shaking her head, "I swear I didn't say anything."

"It's alright, Masters," said the General rubbing his forehead before looking at the screens as the past five hours came crashing down onto him, "yeah, send the call over to my office, will you?"

"Yes, sir," said the young dark haired woman as she walked to a table outside the General's office, while the later walked into his and then picked up his phone, and put it to his ear.

"This is O'Neill," said the General.

"General," said the voice on the other line, "this is Rupert Giles, I'm Buffy's watcher. Tara gave me this number to call in case of emergencies... and... well, there has been an emergency."

"I heard," said the General as he sat down, "the Council was destroyed. Mr. Giles, you have my condolences, I'm sure that you and Miss Summers lost friends and…"

"I lost a few friends, General," said the Watcher as he sat down while he sat next to Wesley, Faith, Xander, Anya and the others… except for Fred and Dawn who took the Potentials to the Summers house for some food, "but it's not just the Council being blown up that's a part of the apocalypse we're facing, General. Watchers and Potential Slayers, girls who are candidates to be called upon as Slayers, are being murdered all over the world by the agents of an ancient being that existed before time itself… it's called the First Evil; it's the very thing that evil comes from, the very thing that evil fears. And it's primary goal is to kill all the Potentials, and then finally the two Slayers.. Buffy and Faith. I know you're busy, General; but this is a problem that could end the world as we know it. We need your help."

The General had his mouth open wide as he tried to absorb what the Watcher just told him; an ancient being known as the First Evil, the murder of girls all over the world who could one day be Slayers, the murder of their watchers. It took him a few more seconds to get his composure back before he spoke again.

"Mr. Giles," said General O'Neill, "I'll get someone from the Army base to your location as fast as possible. But they won't able to do much since our primary resources are being tied up in the current on-going situation."

"What situation?" asked Giles as he looked at Faith, and the others who looked back at him confused.

"The outbreak," said the General, "since this morning, it's… don't you guys watch the TV?"

"I don't really…" said Giles shaking his head before he covered the bottom of the phone and asked Wesley to call Dawn at the Summers house, and asked her to check on the TV as to what was going on. Wesley nodded his head before getting up and heading to the back room as he took out his cell phone and made a call. Once the other Watcher was in the back room, Giles got back on the phone with the General, "how bad is it?"

"Bad," said the General as he rubbed his forehead, "if the First is a big a danger as you say, then… then I'll try to get some equipment to you. But the truth is that… look, Mr. Giles, all I can tell you is that this outbreak looks bad. I need you and your people to stay at home… stay at home and we'll call you once we've got this under control."

The General didn't want to tell Giles that they were considering closing United States air space since many passengers had already left for international destinations, and the government wanted to prevent more people from being exposed. He couldn't tell him that they were considering martial law in the United States since more and more people were getting sick. All he could do right now was try and keep them calm.

"I'll call you with any updates, Mr Giles," said the General, "and in the meantime… stay at home. Try not to leave unless you absolutely have to."

"I.. I understand," said Giles as Wesley rushed in saying that there was an influenza outbreak at a level never been seen before. Giles opened his eyes wide at the timing, and wondered if this was the First's doing. He even made that possibility known to the General, who lied by agreeing that it was a possibility if this being done to end everything in the world.

"We're doing all we can to find a cure," said the General as he thought about the Ancient Orlin who descended in the form of a young boy only an hour ago at the SGC, and was now helping them with a cure, "we'll find something. I know we promised Tara everything she needed, but with what's going on, we're preparing for everything. I'll send a small team to Tara's home, they'll protect you guys if these agents of the First attacks you, and your people directly."

"I understand," said Giles as he looked at the others, "good luck, General."

"Thanks," replied General O'Neill, "we'll need it."

After General O'Neill put the phone down, he walked out of his office and went to Lieutenant Masters. He ordered her to run background checks on a few people.

"Of course, sir," said the young woman who took out a pad to write down the names.

"Rupert Giles, Dawn Summers, and Buffy Summers," said the General, "we've already run background checks on the others. Also, call Mr. Giles and get the names of anyone else that they know who is in Sunnydale. He mentioned another Slayer called Faith, I want her full name as well for the background check. Tell him that we need to find out how many people we'll be protecting, and then call the Sunnydale Army base, and have them send a team in plain clothes to the Summers house. I want them with sidearms on them, with their other weaponry in the house itself… no need to worry the neighbours."

"Understood, sir," said the lieutenant.

"And Masters," said the General, "I wanted the background checks by tonight."

"Yes, sir," said Masters as she picked up the phone while the General turned to face the screen and saw that the number of infected jumped by twenty people in the U.S alone. He then let out a sigh before heading back to his office.

TBC.


	41. Chapter 41

**The Sheppard Residence, 1750 hours.**

After several dances with her father, brothers, and the father of the bride, Tara hobbled to her table where Buffy was already seated while she was rubbing her feet, and Willow was sitting back on her chair drinking champagne after she was asked by a few young men for a dance. She sniggered internally when she refused their offers of dates, saying that she already had someone; news that deflated a few of the young men. The three young women looked at each other and laughed as it finally hit home as to where they were; a wedding ceremony, which led to Tara and Willow to look at Buffy who was still rubbing her feet while Colonel Sheppard was dancing with Kathy.

"You look great, Buffy," said Tara as she leaned forward, "so…"

"I am not using my ancient Slayer abilities to catch the bouquet," said Buffy as she raised an eyebrow at her friends.

"I wasn't going to ask that," replied Tara, her lips pressing together into a pout, while she blinked her eyes rapidly; an act that made Willow chuckle.

"And I'm not asking out your brother," said Buffy as she leaned forward while Willow chuckled.

"We just want to see you happy, Buffy," said Willow.

Buffy leaned back on her chair and continued to rub her feet as she glanced over at Colonel Sheppard who was now dancing with the mother of the bride. She looked out of the corner of her eye as Tara and Willow were looking at each other and talking before she looked at the Colonel again. She saw him dancing when the music stopped and the two of them spilt apart while clapping their hands. Another slow song started up again as Kathy's mother started dancing with her husband while Colonel Sheppard walked back to the table, and sat next to Buffy while groaning about his feet hurting.

"John," said Tara, a smirk on her lips, "Buffy says her feet are hurting too."

"He can see that," said Buffy as she widened her eyes at Tara who was nudging Willow with her elbow. It was then that the Colonel's phone went off; the man took his phone out of his pocket, and then looked at the caller I.D. It was Tara who saw the Colonel show confusion before excusing himself and then getting up from the table. The three young women saw him leave to one corner of the large room as he brought the phone to his ear. Buffy was asking Tara if she could get a feel for his aura; saying that she wanted to make sure that everything was alright.

"I… I think so," lied Tara as she noticed the worry that was just coming off the Colonel. She then saw him put the phone down and weave in and out of the crowd to Dave, who was dancing with Kathy. The three women saw him tap Dave's shoulder before signalling him and Kathy to meet them outside. Tara saw Dave nod his head as Colonel Sheppard then went to Patrick and made the same signal. Once Patrick was following Dave and Kathy discretely out of the reception area, Colonel Sheppard calmly walked up to Tara's table and asked her, Willow, and Buffy to follow him.

Once they were all outside the reception hall, the Colonel motioned towards them to follow him into another room in the far side of the hallway. They entered the room, which was bare as Buffy closed the door behind them after Colonel Sheppard asked her to.

"John?" asked Patrick, "what's going on?"

"I just got a call from my Commanding Officer," said the Colonel as he looked at everyone, "there's a very virulent type of influenza that's going around… it's already infected people all over the world and…."

"John," asked Dave with his eyes wide open, "how bad?"

"No one's seen this type of influenza before," said the Colonel, "all air traffic has been stopped and…"

"Our honeymoon to Paris?" asked Kathy as Tara rolled her eyes whole looking at Buffy and Willow.

"I'm sorry,' said the Colonel as Dave put his arm around Kathy's shoulders, "all international and national flights have stopped. This is a very infectious disease, so far we're safe. We haven't come into contact with anyone who has it."

"How do you know?" asked Buffy who was now worried about Dawn back in Sunnydale.

"Because if we did," replied the Colonel, "then we'll be sick too. They just made the decision to ground all planes… all I can tell you guys is that they're working on a cure."

"What happens now," asked Willow.

"Everyone will eventually find out," said the Colonel, "best we can do is try and keep people calm. If they want to leave, they have every right. While all planes are grounded, they can still cross state lines with their cars; although I wouldn't suggest it. Best thing they could do is stay…"

"Patrick?" said a woman's voice from the other side of the room they were in. Then heard a few more voices in the hallway.

"Looks like they've found out," said Dave.

"Just keep everyone calm," said the Colonel as he put his hands on Dave and Kathy's shoulders, "you guys will still have your honeymoon. Just for now, you can't leave the country… and it's kind of riskiy to drive cross country where there could be people you come across who are infected."

"Then I suppose we stay here," said Kathy shaking her head while Dave held her hand tight, "I guess we have to go outside now and tell people to calm down."

Patrick, Dave, and Kathy then walked out of the room where they were almost immediately accosted by three guests who were showing them reports on their phones. The Colonel and Tara saw Patrcik put his hand on the shoulder of a middle-aged man just before the door to the room closed. Colonel Sheppard then turned to Buffy and Willow, telling them that General O'Neill has already checked in with Giles and that everyone's healthy. The Colonel then went on to say that the General told him that Giles called earlier to say that the First Evil made itself known, and with the Council destroyed… the Potential Slayers were in danger and heading towards Sunnydale.

"What?" asked Buffy as the other two young women looked at the Colonel with their eyes wide open when they heard about the First Evil finally making its move, the destruction of the Coucnil, and the coming of the Potential Slayers. "we need to…"

"We can't," said the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, and then at Willow and Tara, "yeah, we can drive there… but like I just said there's a risk that we can get infected since we don't know who out there is infected. And the numbers are rising, this is getting to the global pandemic stage… and so far there's no cure."

"You think this is the First's doing?" asked Tara as she looked at Willow.

"It could be," said Willow nodding her head at Tara before looking at the Colonel, "but Giles? Is he..?"

"He's healthy," said the Colonel. The man then looked at the worried face on Buffy, and reached into his pocket and took out his phone, "Buffy, call your sister. Everyone's going to be alright; the General's already ordered a team to your house, and they'll be there in thirty minutes."

"I… I'll be right back," said Buffy as she walked out of the room, with Willow saying that she was going to follow her out, and stay with her while she makes the call. Tara and the Colonel nodded their heads as Buffy put the phone to her ear with Willow holding onto her shoulders. Once the door closed again, Tara and Colonel Sheppard were left alone.

"John," said Tara as she grabbed his hand, "I know you weren't telling the truth about the flu thing, what's really going on?"

"There's a new enemy," said the Colonel as Tara's jaw dropped, "we received reports on them during our regular transmitions with Earth. They're called the Ori, and they're from the original galaxy that the Ancients come from."

"Wait, you mean…. Those same Ancients you told me about?" asked Tara as the Colonel nodded his head.

"The Ori are ascended beings, Tara," said the Colonel, "and the Ancients won't let them use their powers here. So they are using a work-around. They're sending highly eveolved humans called priors to this galaxy, we believe it part of a first wave. They're converting planets to a religion called Origin, and those who refuse? Well, SG teams have seen entire planets dead."

"No," said Tara with her eyes wide open.

"Tara," said the Coloenl, "the SGC's frontline team has alrady seen this.. these Priors? They spread the plague… SG-1's seen a whole village die. And I mean no lifesigns, even one of their own was about to die. And in a show of power, the Prior who caused all that death… brought everyone back to life, and completely cured those who were still sick."

"That's not possible," said Tara shaking her head, "death is… death. There is a chance of a resurrection if it's a mystical death but…."

"SG-1 saw them all get up after they died," said the Colonel, "that planet converted to Origin; now they've targeted us because we're a threat. This is that same plague."

"But… but a cure?"

"General O'Neill told me that an Ancient descended," said the Major as Tara opened her eyes wide in surprise, "he's doing everything he can, but he's losing his mind… something about a human brain not being able to handle the entire Ancient knowledge. He's helping us with a cure."

"What can we do?"

"The Prometheus isn't in Earth orbit," said the Colonel, "and the Daedalus is on it's way back to Atlantis… and with the planes grounded? All we can do is wait, and hope."

"I just talked to Dawn and Fred," said Buffy as she walked back into the room with Willow while Tara just nodded her head at the Colonel before turning around, "everyone's doing alright, they're feeding three potentials in the house. Xander's there too, his… stuff… is close by in case the First tries to attack."

"They're got back-up coming," said the Colonel.

"I should still be there," said Buffy as she looked away while folding her arms over her chest.

"Buffy," said Tara gently as she placed her hand on the Slayer's shoulder, "you've got Faith there; Wesley, Xander, Spike…"

"Spike?" asked the Colonel, "who's…"

"Umm…." Said Buffy as she looked at the Colonel, "remember I told you about the…. Umm.. guy that…"

"Oh," said the Colonel as the both of them looked at each other while Colonel Sheppard recalled the conversation they had back in his hotel room in D.C the day before he left for Atlantis again, before Buffy looked away, "umm… ok. I guess you've got people to help out until you get back, Buffy."

Tara noticed something in Buffy's aura, it was the same thing she had been noticing ever since Spike returned to Sunnydale with his soul. At first it was anger… but underneath that was shame. Tara guessed that the anger and shame were due to Buffy's 'involvement' with Spike, but there was something else that she didn't tell her. And Tara confirmed it when she glanced at the anger in her brother's aura, despite his outward appearance of control.

Tara knew that there was something more than met the eye; but she didn't know how to bring it up.

Or if she should.

"Well," said Willow as she frowned, "there's nothing we could do here except go back out there and… just… I guess just…"

"Hope for the best," said Tara giving Willow a small smile, "let's see how many guest we have left."

"I'll be right out," said the Colonel as he smiled at Tara and Willow.

"Me too," said Buffy as she looked at the two young women.

"See you outside, Buffy," said Willow as she put her hand on the Slayer's shoulder, as did Tara as she walked past and smiled at Buffy, "don't take too long."

"We won't," said Buffy and the Colonel together; it was a reaction that made Tara and Willow looke at the both of them before the former gently pulled the redhead away. Once the door closed again after Tara and Willow walked outside, it was just Buffy and Colonel Sheppard in the room looking at each other.

"So…." Said the Colonel as she rubbed the back of his head.

"He came back to Sunnydale months ago," said Buffy as she stepped forward, "I found him under the school and…."

"You don't need to explain," said the Colonel, "are you okay?"

"No," she replied, "Spike, he… I told you what he did, John. Everytime I see him I get angry and… and ashamed of everything. But I know that he's got his soul back and… and he's on the same strength level as me and Faith. And if.. if the First already started it's attack? Then we need him and.. and I hate needing him to help us. But you'll be gone again and… and…"

"Buffy…" said the Colonel as he look a step forward.

"I mean I know you have to go," said Buffy shaking her head, "and yeah, I know that the military can help us now openly and… I hate relying on him because he's also the fighter we need and… then we have a bunch of untrained girls, and more coming everyday and… and we don't even know where the attack's coming from and when and…"

"Calm down," said the Colonel gently as he put his hands on the blonde's shoulders, "I can talk to General O'Neill and to Dr. Weir, if this is going to get as bad as you think it is, then I'll convince them that it would be best that my team join me here to help."

"You'll stay?" asked Buffy.

"Yeah," said the Colonel, "of course it depends on what General O'Neill and Dr. Weir says, and… and it's take a week to get an answer."

'Thanks to the Asgards help with the new power source on the Daedalus,' thought the Colonel to himself as he continued to tell Buffy that Dr. Weir could be making a decision in a week's time, 'it'll take the Daedalus a week to reach Pegasus, and then Elizabeth can send Teyla, Mackay, Ronon, and Rose to Earth through the gate. The other teams should be able to handle things with the remaining five clones.'

Buffy just nodded her head as she looked at the Colonel; she was trying to sense for any deception. She then shook her head before reminding herself that her deception radar was non-existent.

'Parker was the perfect example,' thought Buffy to herself.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Spike being back," said Buffy as the Colonel sighed and shook his head while waving his hands.

"No, you don't need to be sorry," said the Colonel, "but are you sure he won't be hurting you, or anyone?"

"Yeah," said Buffy nodding her head, "the chip in his brain is still active."

"Okay, then," said the Colonel nodding his head as he took a step closer to Buffy before bringing out his elbow to the side, "shall we?"

"Yea," replied Buffy as she wrapped her arm around Colonel Sheppard's arm, and walked out as some of the guests were heading back into the reception hall after talking to Patrick and Tara while Willow was standing next to her. Colonel Sheppard and Buffy walked towards them as Patrick told them that the majority of the guests would be staying in San Francisco since the news reports showed that the city was still clean.

"I was thinking that Buffy, Willow, and I could stay together," said Tara, "just us."

"Oh yea," said Willow with her eyes wide open as the Colonel rolled his eyes, "a slumber party… just like Buffy, Xander, and I used to… you know.. watching movies and stuff and…"

"I don't think Xander would like for you to call it a slumber party, Will," said Buffy with a chuckle as she walked over to the two young women after letting go of Colonel Sheppard's arm.

"I'm going to get a drink," said the Colonel shaking his head while the three women talked.

"Me too," said Patrick, which was when Tara stopped talking and frowned at her father.

"Dad," said Tara with an eye brow arched upwards, "you remember what the doctor said? John? Make sure he gets water."

"Yes, dear," said Patrick as Tara grinned before Patrick kissed her cheek. Colonel Sheppard then waved at Tara and nodded towards the reception area before looking at Buffy. The both of them gave each other a small smile before Colonel Sheppard turned with Patrick and walked away.

'Ummm,' thought the Colonel to himself as he walked alongside his father, 'vampires can't die except with a piece of wood through the heart.. but I wonder if they would feel pain with a nine-milimeter through their kneecap. I wonder.'

TBC.

 


	42. Chapter 42

**The Sheppard Residence, 0100 hours.**

Buffy found herself surrounded by darkness as she looked down a hallway with her eyes narrowed. She could hear a thudding sound in the distance as she took a few steps forward before crouching down and looking into the distance. The Slayer placed her hand on the wall and smelt the stale air while she looked at the boxes lined up along a side of the opposite wall, the boxes that all said 'Property of Sunnydale High'.

'So I'm at the high school,' thought Buffy to herself as she stood up and started to walk towards the thudding sound in the distance, 'not the best place I'd like to be in for a dream, so many bad nightmares here.'

Buffy continued walking slowly towards the thudding noises in the distance as she turned left on a corner and entered another hallway, the same hallway where she found Spike talking to himself back in the real Sunnydale High. Shaking her head while pushing Spike's name to the back of her head, Buffy continued to walk through the hallway.

'Why can't I just have dreams of puppies and ponies and… oh, come on Buffy, you're not six anymore,' thought Buffy to herself as she continued to walk, 'you have this whole slumber party thing with Tara and Willow, there's a few drinks we 'borrowed' from the reception and we play 'Truth or Dare' and Tara…. Tara of all people asks you if you're gonna date her brother… her brother who happens to be an officer in the Air Force… a brother who's heading back out there and leaving just like Riley did and..."

Buffy stopped walking and closed her eyes to clear her head.

'Ok,' though Buffy to herself as she continued to walk again, 'he said that he'll try and stay to help, but that still means he's leaving you later on… and… and.. oh, Stupid Buffy, you just had to say 'yes' didn't you when Tara asked the 'Truth' question. You're just a glutton for punishment.

Buffy shook her head as she went down some stairs and then heard the thudding sounds were getting louder, she was getting closer. As she entered another hallway, Buffy saw a light flickering at the end of the hallway. Feeling a sense of dread, she walked cautiously towards the light, her hand against the wall while she set her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and rolled her left hand into a fist – she was ready to fight.

As she walked into the lit room, Buffy found that the ground was dug up to reveal what looked like a manhole cover that had a goat's head etched onto it along with a pentagram. She narrowed her eyes when the thudding sounds, which were now louder, seemed to be coming from the manhole cover.

It was coming from under it, as if something was trying to break it open. Buffy then heard a thud behind her, and she turned around to find a body; it's neck broken and throat slit with the head and eyes facing her. Buffy then heard another thud, followed by another, and then another, and another until she was surrounded by bodies on all sides of her. She was about to open her mouth and say something when the blood from all of the bodies travelled down the sides of the area that was dug up, and then towards the manhole cover-like thing; to Buffy, it looked as if the blood had a mind of its own. She saw it gather on the manhole cover, before getting absorbed into the brownish metal. Buffy covered her eyes when the metal itself glowed for just an instance, taking her hand off her eyes when she heard something metallic opening. Buffy looked at the metallic cover that clicked before one quarter of it opened up as her eyes went wide. She could feel a dread going through her body, and then another quarter of the cover opened up.

It was then she saw a pale hand reach out of a hole; a hand that had very sharp fingernails, followed by a deep and guttural growl from below.

It was then that Buffy snapped her eyes and sat up on the bed in her T-Shirt and shorts before looking around while controlling her breathing. She then looked at Willow who was sleeping peacefully on a bed, and then at Tara who was fast asleep on another bed. Buffy then sat up on the couch she was on, and turned her body so that her feet were now on the carpet while she gave a little yawn and then rubbed her face. Buffy then sat back and looked at her two friends before she stood up, and then walked to the curtain covered window that looked out to a balcony… which itself looked out to the swimming pool. Buffy slightly parted the curtains and looked at the full moon in the sky, and then pulled the curtains back tight and walked to the door to the room they were in. She walked out into the hallway, and towards the flight of stairs that would get her down to the floor below, and then from there she would be able to make it to the kitchen from some water.

With the hallways dimly lit, Buffy walked cautiously out of a force of habit as she went down the stairs, and then to the kitchen. Once there she just leaned against a counter while drinking her water. She couldn't hear anything at all with her enhanced hearing, and she was happy about it. She didn't want to have any trouble in someone else's house. However, she couldn't get her mind off of her visions and asked herself what was that weird manhole cover that had the goat's head etched on it, and then there was the question of the bodies.

'I didn't know any of them,' thought Buffy to herself as she filled her glass with water again and then leaned back against the counter, 'could they be potential Slayers? All of them were girls, young girls. I called Giles after the reception and… and I know he was hiding something but he said that Potentials are being killed all over the world. And the survivors were heading to Sunnydale, my house specifically since that's the location their Watchers told them to head for. I hope Faith keeps them safe, I hope she keeps herself safe.'

Buffy then put her glass back and walked out of the kitchen. She walked up the flight of stairs and walked past Colonel Sheppard's room. It was then she noticed that the light from his room was shining through underneath the door; it wasn't something she had noticed when she went to get the water. The Slayer put her hand up and was about to knock on the door, when she suddenly stopped.

'Go to sleep, Buffy,' she thought to herself, 'what are you going to tell him when he asks what you're doing here? Oh, hi John, I'm standing outside your room because I'd like to come in and kiss you in case your Commanding Officer says you can't stay and have to leave once this whole entire nightmare scenario is over and done with. Oh God, Buffy… just shut up and go to sleep.'

Buffy put her hands by her sides before sighing and then turned towards her room. She reached the door and opened it, and then looked back at the Colonel's door before closing her door.

And then she walked past Willow, and sat on the comfortable couch before sighing.

And then she closed her eyes.

And slept an uneasy sleep.

 


	43. Chapter 43

**The Summers Residence, 0100 hours.**

While Buffy was wandering heading to the kitchen to drink some water in the Sheppard residence, Faith was taking a stroll with Wesley by her side, and an Army officer who was supposed to be their look-out. There were a few army officers located in a van that was running surveillance of the surrounding area, with the first thing that the noticed being three people on the same street moving out; something that the military, the Slayers, and everyone would notice as more and more people left the city over the next few weeks. However, for right now, none of them had any idea of what was going on, or why exactly it was that the people were leaving.

There were two Army officers staying in the Summers house in the basement with their weapons in lockers; the same place where Xander kept the weapons he received from the Army. The house security system was ready to be placed on manual mode in the event that there was an attack while Faith, Wesley, Spike and the other officer were away with the remote control being in Xander's hands.

Before leaving, Faith told the three Potentials to rest because the next day would be the first day they started training. When Molly brought up the plague that had already infected thousands of people worldwide, Faith told them that if any of them were already exposed… they were going to get sick either way.

"I don't know about you guys," said Faith to the potentials who were gathered in the living room where they were going to sleep for now. The five Army officers were with her and Wesley, with Fred standing to one side and Spike leaning against the wall in a corner… the Potentials looking towards him with fear, and then at Faith, "I'm not gonna lie down and wait for the end to come; tomorrow's training for all of you. If any of you get sick, then…."

"Then you'll be quarantined," said an Army officer who had already introduced himself as Major Klein while Faith nodded her head with her hands folded on her chest, "a doctor will be on station here checking on all of you... and any new Potentials who arrive every single day. We know the symptoms of this plague, and we'll be checking in on you whether you like it or not."

"That's that then," said Faith as she looked at the Potential Slayers, "honestly, I'm not one for training… so until Buffy gets back, the army guys will be training you three, and the others coming after you to Sunnydale, in combat. Wesley and Giles have the most experience training Slayers with melee weapons, but with Giles helping out with research… it'll mostly be Wesley handling you kids, and no… you kids will not be getting guns."

"The guns will be for those trained to us them," said Major Klein, "that'd be the officers stationed in the house, and in the van outside, and Mr. Harris, and Mr. Pryce."

"Before my Watcher died," said Kennedy, "he said that guns can't kill vampires."

"It can hurt them like hell," said Wesley, "but no… unless the military has something that can kill vampires, we're stuck with regular bladed weapons, and wooden stakes."

However, Major Klein knew that wasn't exactly true. He was once the leader of SG-17 and he knew the weapon power that was present. He knew that a few shots of hot plasma from a staff weapon could be able to dust a vampire; the intense heat of the blast burning it to dust. But the Pentagon was working on clearing those weapons for use outside the SGC. For now, the Army officer's weapons contained a Zat gun for each of the military personnel.

And the Major hoped that it would work.

"The guns should work against these Bringers," said the Major, "but, like Mr. Pryce said, they'll hurt a vampire. From what I've been told, the First Evil uses agents to fight its battles for it… if they're breathing and flesh and blood, we can take them out."

"And if they're the undead variety," said Faith, "then we take those out the good old fashioned war, and you'll be trained. Just be ready."

Back in the present day, the Faith, the officer, Spike, and Wesley were walking in a section of the city as a breeze went past them. It didn't take long for the Slayer to feel the chill in the air, before she released a shudder and they walked towards an abandoned park. It was the same area that had been selling Christmas trees the last time Faith had a truly happy memory here.

It was the day it snowed.

The four of them walked past the open chain link fence, believing that kids had probably broken in and stolen several pieces of wooden crates that peppered the area around them. However, it wasn't the broken wooden crates or the dead trees that interested them; what they had come to see was the large circular patch of grass that was dead and brown, in contrast to the surrounding green of the grass.

"So this is the place?" asked the officer who was standing next to Spike who was told to come along just because Faith didn't trust him around the Potential Slayers, even though he kept on pointing at his head saying that he had a chip and his soul to prevent him from hurting anyone on purpose. Both Faith and Wesley, as well as Major Klein, told the vampire that he was going to be watched the entire time; that if he even manages to bite anyone without the chip activating, he'll be killed by Faith.

Back in the present day, Spike stood next to Faith who was crouching down while brushing her hand on the dead grass and soil underneath. Wesley said that according to Giles' accounts, the Bringers brought death above and below them… and this felt like the best place to start looking for the Bringers, and hopefully a way to beat the First Evil.

"So," said Faith as she walked on the patch of dead grass and frowned while tapping her foot on the Earth, "any idea how.. crap!"

It took a second to long for the others to move as the ground beneath Faith collapsed and she fell down the side of a tunnel. She felt herself sliding on roots and soil for a few seconds before landing into as tunnel feet first. She then stumbled forward before regaining her balance while she rubbed her back and grimaced in pain. She looked back at the angled hole she came through before hearing a scream from the hole. A scream that made her step to the side as Spike crashed through, followed by a torchlight that was on the officer's belt earlier.

"Gee!" shouted Faith up the hole as Spike cursed at Wesley for pushing him down the hole without a warning, "thanks for the fangless-wonder, and the light."

"We're going to get a rope, Faith!" shouted Wesley whose voice drifted down the hole, "Captain Simmons already radioed for assistance from the van. Give us ten minutes or so."

"We're inside a tunnel," shouted Faith before looking at Spike who was wiping the dirt off his black jacket before sauntering towards Faith, at the same time shouting that chipped or not, he was going to break Wesley's arms.

"Try it, pussycat," shouted Wesley while Faith chuckled before she turned towards the tunnel in front of her, and turned on the light in her hand, and then with her other hand reached behind her and took out a stake; gripping it in her right hand just in case.

"We're going in, Wes," shouted Faith as she nodded towards the tunnel in front of them. Once Faith got an acknowledgement form Wesley, she and Spike walked into the darkness before them, partially lit by a flashlight; and into the unknown.

The both of them walked through the humid tunnel for five minutes, it seemed to them that they were walking deeper underground, when Faith thought that she saw movement up ahead. She stopped, as did Spike, while raising the flashlight and shining the light into the darkness. Spike looked around as well while telling Faith that he could see in the dark, and he wasn't seeing anything at all; human or demon.

"Yea?" asked Faith as she looked straight ahead and wherever the light was being shined at, "you're a vamp, sorry if I'm a little wary of what you tell me."

"I have a soul, Slayer," said Spike as he looked around the immediate area, with the hairs on his arms starting to rise.

"Like Angel?" asked Faith with a smirk on her face.

"I'm nothing like Angel," said an insulted Spike, "his soul was cursed on him, but me? I wanted this and…"

"Shhh," said Faith as she straightened up, as did Spike when they heard a deep growl from the darkness in front of them. Before the both of them could do anything, there was a hunched over, pale, demonic creature that rushed at Faith first. Taken by surprise at the speed of the creature, Faith stumbled back from a very hard punch and fell onto the floor. She then heard the creature growling before it turned towards Spike who was fighting it in the darkness, the light from the torch in the dark tunnel onto serving to outline the two figures and Faith got up and grabbed the stake that she had dropped onto the ground.

She then rushed at the two figures, with a stake in hand.

"Spike sound off," shouted Faith.

"Left!" shouted Spike and Faith went right, hitting the creature hard across its jaw. She then gave multiple kicks and Spike joined in the assault on the pale creature. It was when the light from the flashlight shone off the fangs, and the claws, did Faith realize that this was some sort of a vampire. The Slayer then, seeing a chance, staked the creature. The stake penetrated a bit of the skin bore she felt a fist to the side of her head. She stumbled back as the vampire then attacked Spike before it kicked and punched her.

'So fast, and strong,' thought Faith to herself as she was punched, and then flung onto the floor. She watched the creature leap towards her just as it was tackled by Spike who grabbed it in mid-air and flung it to the side.

"Come on, Slayer!" said Spike helping her up while the other pale vampire was getting up from the ground, "we need to leave! Now!"

Spike pushed Faith as they ran up the tunnel while the pale vampire followed them.

"It's still coming," said Faith as she suddenly turned and leapt towards the creature and punching it, she then ducked and gave it an uppercut before ducking another swipe of its claws. Spike frowned before he leaped at the creature and then punched it's face just after Faith had made the same move. With Faith's eyes now used to being in the dark, the Slayer was able to fight much more effectively, but she and Spike were still getting beaten.

It felt as if they were fight the unknown vampire for hours, and it wasn't too long before the Slayer had a gash on her abdomen, and other injuries on her face and chest, as did Spike. But the vampire never seemed to be getting tired, while Faith and Spike were already feeling the strain of their injuries.

"Get down!" shouted Wesley's voice from behind the three of them.

Faith and Spike then dropped to the floor without question and winched when they heard shots from two weapons being fired at the vampire. Faith looked back while she was lying on her stomach, which was painful because of the cuts and the gash she received, and saw Wesley and Captain Simmons, the officer who had come with them, unloading their weapons at the vampire. She then saw the creature stumbled back, and then growl when the firing stopped. Knowing what was going to happen now, the injured Faith attempted to get up only to hear an electronic sound from behind her, followed by a short beam of blue light that hit the vampire. The energy crackled over its body as it roared in anger, but still waved it's arms before getting on one knee.

She and Spike turned and saw Captain Simmons holding a strange 'S' shaped weapon that fired the blue burst of light. They saw it hit the creature as it roared before getting on all fours. The Captain fired four more shots and sighed in relief when the vampire fell on the ground.

Not moving.

The three of them saw the Captain stow the weapon into a holster before saying that a team was up on the surface to get them out of the tunnel. He then took out a camera and took some pictures of the creature.

"Let's move," said the Captain as he helped Faith stand, while Wesley helped Spike, "questions later, and answers much later. For now, move! A team's already topside. Go! Go! Go!"

The four of them ran as fast as possible until they saw the rope coming down the tunnel that Faith and Spike had fallen through. It was Faith who went up first, followed by Spike, Wesley, and then the Captain. HE knew that the four of them would have a lot of questions, and he already had the appropriate cover story until the Pentagon approved the Zat use out of the SGC in the hands of these civilians. And with what happen concerning the vampire below, he knew that the Pentagon would quickly approve the Zats and their plasma weapons.

At least he hoped for the plasma weapons as he headed into the awaiting SUV with the injured Spike and Faith who were heading home to be looked at by the doctors. Closing the door as the SUV accelerated out of there, Captain Simmons knew that the plasma weapons would have been more effective.

"Ok," said Faith as the Captain looked back at her from the front passenger seat, "what the hell just happened?"

TBC.

 


	44. Chapter 44

**The Summers Residence, 0130 hours.**

Xander was in the living room with the three girls who were watching some TV, while Dawn and Fred were in the kitchen making something to eat. The officers were taking shifts at the entrances while another one was walking the perimeter of the house. Giles in the dining room with Lorne doing some more research on the First Evil. Xander sighed as he walked around the living room when the door opened and a badly beaten Spike walked in with Wesley helping him in, the state he was in making everyone stand up and take notice. However, Xander wasn't worried about Spike, he was more concerned about the fact that Faith wasn't with them.

"Faith's getting checked out by a doctor in the van," said Captain Simmons, "Major Klein is with her right now."

"What happened?" asked a worried Giles as he came up to, and then stood next to Wesley while Captain Simmons took out his phone, and then showed the pictures of the vampire that was lying on the ground to Giles. The Watcher opened his eyes wide and then grabbed the phone out of the surprised Captain's hand and rushed towards the dining table while looking at the picture on the screen while mumbling to himself, "oh dear Lord."

"Dr. Giles?" asked Captain Simmons, "you know what that is?"

"A vampire," said Spike who was sitting in the stairs while nursing the bruises on his face, "very old, powerful."

"Did you guys kill it?" asked Molly who had her arms around her body in fear, "I mean… this guy's a vampire with a soul and he wasn't any use."

"And we've got a Slayer who's seeing a doctor," said Kennedy as she put her hands on her hips, "or is she really a Slayer?"

"She fought with everything she had," frowned Spike towards Kennedy, "I pulled her away to get out, but she went back and fought it anyway. And it was dark in that tunnel…"

"At least they're alive," said Annabelle, the third Potential Slayer as she looked at the other Potential Slayers.

"It's a Turok-han," said Giles after he flipped through some pages on an old book before looking up, "an ancient vampire, one of the first vampires actually. It's very old…. Let's put it this way, the Turok-han is what the modern day vampire's fear."

"I didn't fear that thing," said Spike, even though he recalled the hairs on his arms standing up because of fear the fear that he was denying, "if there was enough light down in the tunnel, then we could have killed it."

"Yeah," said Xander as he looked out the door, and at the van whose rear doors were open. He could see Faith seated there while a doctor was bandaging a wound on her abdomen, and her arms, while another nurse was checking her face. He saw that Major Klein was talking to her, and nodding his head at something she was saying. Xander then looked back into the house while Lorne was asking how it was that they managed to knock out the Turok-han they found in the tunnels.

"That's what I'd like to know too," said Spike as he looked at Captain Simmons. The man knew that this question was going to be asked, so he was already prepared with the cover story just as Fred and Dawn walked up to the foyer. Fred and Dawn looked at Spike with worry before Fred turned to Xander and asked him about Faith. Xander told her what happened, and then the concerned young woman rushed to the door and looked at where Xander was pointing. She waved at Faith, who looked away from the Major and waved back, before looking at the Major again.

"She's going to be all right, Fred," Xander reassured Fred as he patted her shoulder while she nodded her head. It was then that Captain Simmons said that the weapon he used was an experimental technology from DARPA, it was similar technology used as the security system around the house.

"It fires a bolt of energy," said the Captain as he looked at the curiosity on Fred's face. He knew she was going to ask something, but he interrupted her, "I know all of you have questions, but that's all I can tell you for now until Major Klein gets full clearance from the Pentagon. And from the report I'll be sending them, I will recommend that you guys know what our plan of action is going to be. All I can tell you is that we're lucky today. This weapon works against humans, we're pretty sure it'll work against vampires and…."

"It didn't do much use and…" quipped Spike as he raised an eyebrow at the Captain.

The Captain the pulled out his Zat and shot Spike, who collapsed on the stairs, before he put it back in his holster.

"It works against vampires," said the Giles as Xander looked at Spike, and then at the Captain while nodding his head impressed. The others, especially Fred, looked at the result of the weapons fire amazed while Captain Simmons was telling them that one shot takes down most people. Two shots are enough to kill, and the third shot is enough to disintegrate a body."

"Are you serious?" asked Fred.

"You can try it on Spike if you want," said Xander.

"No," replied both Dawn and Fred while Xander raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway," questioned Fred, "how's that possible? That kind of technology is way ahead of its time and…"

"DARPA," said the Captain, "the geeks there came up with this a year ago. We're still testing it, anyway… I shot the vampire more than three times and it was still standing. It should have been gone… poof… but it just fell to the ground unconscious. And then we got out of there."

"Fascinating," said Giles as Wesley nodded his head as well. Like Fred, he too was curious about the weapon and thought about how useful it could be against vampires and demons. Putting those thoughts to the side, he figured that he had no choice but to wait until the Captain, and the Major received permission to tell them more about the weapons.

**The Sheppard Residence, 0900 hours.**

BY the time Buffy had woken up, Willow and Tara were already out of the room, and she was lying on the couch by herself. She slowly sat up, yawned, and then stretched her hands over her head before standing up. The Slayer walked towards the window and pulled the curtain slightly to one side only to see Colonel Sheppard, Patrick, Willow, and Tara having breakfast near the pool while there was one seat open.

Buffy looked at how happy Tara was as she sat next to the Colonel, while Willow was laughing at something Patrick was saying. It was just before the Slayer pulled back the curtain that she saw Colonel Sheppard looking up at her, and then waving. That then led to Willow and Tara, whose backs were to the blonde Slayer, to look around and then wave her over to the table. Buffy chuckled when Patrick waved her over, and pointed at the open seat.

Smiling while she waved back, Buffy turned and then quickly freshened up before changing into a new set of clothes. With a T-Shirt, and Jeans, Buffy then left the room and headed down the hallway of the quiet house. She walked down the stairs to find work crews disassembling the decorations that were all over the house for the wedding. She then walked towards the kitchen, which was where the door leading out to the pool was located, and smiled when she recalled Willow catching the bouquet last night.

It was something that made Buffy laugh as Willow's mouth opened to ab 'O' shape; just like a goldfish. She patted Tara's shoulder while the Major put his arm around the blonde witch's shoulder, as Willow's entire face reddened.

A smile on her face, Buffy stepped into the kitchen, and then walked out of the door and went out towards the pool. She walked up to the empty seat next to Willow, and nodded at everyone there. She glanced over at the Colonel who asked her if she slept well.

"Yea," replied Buffy, 'I was outside your door, and was about to knock after a bad dream. So yeah, I kinda slept well.'

"So where's everyone else?" asked Buffy as she bit into her eggs.

"Mark and Kathy left for our cabin early this morning," said Colonel Sheppard as Buffy nodded her head, "and maybe all of us could head down to the city later. The planes are still grounded, and so far San Francisco's still a clean zone."

"There are some places I'd like to see," replied Willow excitedly.

"Me too," said Tara before she turned to her father, "and you're coming too, dad."

Patrick smiled at his daughter before nodding his head. It was for the next hour that the five of them sat out near the pool having their breakfast. For the first time in months, the Slayer was actually enjoying herself as she laughed while Colonel Sheppard was talking about some of the things he had seen on the island where he was deployed. It would be later in the day that Buffy would find out form Giles what had happened that morning to Faith and Spike against that vampire. Buffy knew that she was worried, and the worst thing was that she was unable to do anything.

Her talk with Faith did help somewhat, she heard the Slayer's confident voice saying that she'll be able to watch over the Potentials and the others until Buffy got back.

Now all Buffy could do was wait. She knew that the other Potentials were in danger, there was no choice but to wait.

All she knew was that, for now, she was with Patrick, Colonel Sheppard, Willow, and Tara; while she hoped that Dawn, Faith, and the others would be safe and sound.

'Our nightmare will soon start,' thought Buffy to herself, 'and we need to be rested.'

TBC.

 


	45. Chapter 45

**The Sheppard residence, San Francisco, 2300 hours.**

It was already eleven in the evening by the time it was announced that scientists and doctors at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and various other labs in the US, and in Europe, worked around the clock to come up with a tested cure for the influenza strain which had already killed hundreds of people around the world. The cure would be sent to areas that were high on the Pentagon's list of infected cities, it would be given to hospitals and clinics in the U.S, and then sent to countries around the world. However, between the release of the cure, and administering it to the sick, everyone in the Pentagon knew more people would die.

Colonel Sheppard expected as much while he watched the news broadcast with Tara, Willow, Buffy, Patrick, Mark and Kathy. It was four hours earlier that Colonel Sheppard was informed of the whole truth; that there was an Asgard vessel in orbit of Earth. And thanks to the sacrifice of the Jaffa high Councillor, Gerak, who became a Prior believing that they were the gods who would bring the Jaffa to enlightenment, sacrificed himself to create the cure. The data that Orlin worked on, before his brain was no longer able to hold all of his Ascended knowledge information, combined with the antibodies in the bodies of those who recovered in the SGC; every bit of information was sent to the Asgard science vessel _Daniel Jackson._

The Asgard had only just managed to replicate the cure before a batch was sent to the SGC, which were then distributed to the hospitals in Colorado Springs, with more of the cure being replicated thanks to the grey aliens. More cases of the cure were sent to infected planets with SG teams to prevent more people from dying.

The news of the first few people recovering from the plagues was welcome news by General Landry, who was himself infected by the plague; and at deaths door. Luckily, he was among those in the SGC who were instantly cured by Gerak.

The Colonel knew all this when he got the call hours ago, but he didn't tell Tara since she was enjoying herself at the pool with Buffy and Willow. It was soon after Tara, Buffy, and Willow came back into the house that Dave and Kathy returned from shopping; with Kathy going straight to her room with the Colonel noticing that she and Tara only gave each other a cursory nod when they walked past each other.

Back in the present time, Kathy was saying, with a grin on her face, while looking at Dave that they could finally start on their honeymoon.

"John?" asked Dave looking at his brother, "is it safe to fly out tonight?"

"Give it two days," he replied with Kathy having a downcast look on her face. The Colonel felt bad for asking Kathy and Dave to delay their honeymoon again, but he felt it the safest thing to do, "I know it sucks, but it's better to hold off until we're sure that this thing's been taken out. I mean we know the cure works, but still..."

"We'll wait," Dave nodded his head at the Colonel while Kathy frowned.

"How about a flight to Sunnydale, John?" asked Buffy before looking at Kathy and Dave, and then at Patrick, "it's not that I've not enjoyed myself here… I mean we have enjoyed ourselves… it's actually the most we've enjoyed ourselves in some time. But I've got… work… and, I know it's not a big deal but…"

"As long as you, Tara, and Willow promise to come visit," said Patrick.

"Of course, we'll come visit, dad," smiled Tara as he walked towards Patrick and grabbed his elbow, helping the man stand up from the couch where they were watching TV, "and now, we're going for your regular scheduled walk."

"Fine," drawled on Patrick while Tara, a grin on her face, hooked her arm around Patrick's left elbow, while Kathy hooked her arm around Patrick's right elbow. The two you women glaring at each other through narrowed eyes while Patrick was talking to Buffy and Willow. Buffy and Willow agreed that they'll follow Patrick, Tara, and Kathy to the back garden where the wedding was held yesterday. Where it was cluttered earlier in the day, the back garden was now clear of all the chairs, the archways, the decorations, and the alter, leaving behind the flower beds and trees that had always been there. There was a cool breeze that brushed past the group, so it wasn't too bad as they just went out for a short walk.

In the meantime, Colonel Sheppard and Dave headed to the kitchen and each grabbed a bottle of beer before heading out of the back door. They then walked towards the table and chairs next to the pool, and sat down looking at the stars in the sky and drinking beer.

The both of them just sat near the pool in complete silence, each acknowledging the other while taking the occasional swig. It was five minutes later that Dave broke the ice, and asked the Colonel how everything was going; and with the wedding bug still in his system, he asked about his love life.

"I am not sharing my love life with you," chuckled Colonel Sheppard as Dave lifted his beer bottle at the Colonel while laughing, "although, I do remember you having this huge crush on…"

"Beverly Hillard? High School?" asked Dave as the Colonel winked at him and nodded his head.

"Married," he continued as Colonel Sheppard nodded his head.

"Met your crush a few days before the wedding," grinned Dave as Colonel Sheppard rolled his eyes and shook his head, "what? She was asking about you, wanted to know if you were coming for the wedding."

"And you said?" asked the Colonel as he leaned forward while he trailed his voice off.

"Of course I told her you're coming for the wedding," replied Dave as the Colonel smirked, "she wants you to call her before you leave, I think she said something about being in Santa Barbara next week. I don't know if you're going to be in the States, or if you're dating Buffy, or…"

"We're just friends," replied the Colonel before he looked at his beer bottle and took a sip. He then placed the empty bottle on the table and stared at his brother.

"In that case," said Dave as he pointed at the Colonel, "call Daisy, will you? She said something about wanting to reminisce… or something similar. Gee.. I wonder what she could mean by that?"

"Shut up," smirked the Colonel as Dave chuckled while leaning back.

"Thanks, you know," said Dave as he put his feet up on another chair, "for coming to the wedding."

The Colonel raised his beer bottle at his brother and nodded his head before continuing to chat for the next thirty minutes when Willow, Buffy, Tara, and Kathy walked in through the back door. Ave smiled and reached for his wife before kissing her, and then wrapping his arm around her waist before telling the Colonel and the others goodnight.

They nodded at the couple who then walked away, followed soon by a yawning Buffy who stretched her arms over her head. She then told Willow, Tara and Colonel Sheppard that she was going to be heading off, that she had one more night to relax before they restarted the fight when returning to Sunnydale.

"I'll go with you, Buffy," replied a yawning Willow who then nodded her head while she gently squeezed Tara's arm. Tara and the redhead looked at each other, and then they looked behind them as the back door closed shut. They then looked at the Colonel who shrugged his shoulders while Buffy chuckled as Willow gave Tara a quick peck on her lips. Buffy then patted Willow's back, with the redhead continuing to look at Tara who was now holding her hand.

"I'll see you soon, sweetie," whispered Tara as Willow smiled while nodding her head. She slowly let go of the blonde witch before walking off with Buffy. Buffy walked a few steps forward towards the door with Willow when she took a quick glance behind her. She saw Tara turning around to sit next to her brother; it was then that the Slayer saw the Colonel looking back at her with a smirk on his face, and then turning to Tara.

Buffy couldn't help but smile as she turned to see Willow turning the handle to the door. She then walked in with Willow while telling the redhead that she wanted to call Giles; she wanted to check in with the older man and make sure that everything was going alright.

"If it was an emergency," whispered Willow so that no one could hear them while she had her arm around Buffy's shoulders, "they'll call you Buff. I know you're worried, so am I, and so is Tara. But… but I think we should start trusting Faith with the Potentials. And Giles, and Xander are there too so… yeah."

"I know it's just me being... well… me," said Buffy as Willow chuckled, "but last night… or early this morning, I had a weird dream."

"Slayer dream?" asked Willow, her eye narrowed in concern at the Slayer, "why didn't you tell me this.. I mean, why didn't you tell Tara or John?"

"We just found out they made a cure, Will," explained Buffy, "I mean… if I told you guys about the dream a few hours ago, or after I woke up, then there's nothing we could have done. I didn't want to worry you, and Tara with this so I kept it to myself. But now that we're heading back to Sunnydale tomorrow, I… I mean I can at least tell you. I wanna give Tara and John another day before the nightmare begins and… and he may have to leave tomorrow if he doesn't hear from his Commanding Officer and… and let's let them enjoy themselves. Let Tara enjoy, because if I tell her this dream I had, then she'll be worried and…"

"At least tell me the dream?" asked Willow, "and then I can help you decide if this is something you should tell John?"

"Let's go to our room?" asked Buffy as Willow nodded her head, "we'll talk there."

While Willow and Buffy headed up to their room in a hurry, Tara and Colonel Sheppard moved their chairs together, and were now sitting back and looking at the stars. The Colonel had his arm around Tara's shoulders, while the blonde witch rested her head on his shoulder.

She then sighed and asked if everything was really going to be all right, "if the Ori plague really gone?"

"Yea," whispered the Colonel as Tara nodded her head on his shoulder, "the cure's being distributed on Earth, and to off-world hot-spots that we know of. Now the problem is what will the Priors come up with next wince their plague is.. well… gone bust."

"Will they attack directly?" asked Tara as the Colonel shrugged his shoulders before saying that they had defences that would hopefully stop an attack. He was aware of the Antarctic outpost and its weapons, and he also knew about the Death Valley outpost that was discovered soon after the attack on Tara back on the Prometheus. Dr. Weir had received a report that said the outpost in Death Valley contained plans for unfinished weapons, including ship-borne energy weapons, sociological and cultural data on various planets, and a full complement of Ancient drones in seven silos all over Death Valley.

The Colonel knew that the Earth would be protected thanks to the drones. But in the meantime, wanted to make sure that Tara would be safe; as well as Buffy, Willow, and then others. He had already sent his request to remain on Earth until the First was taken care off, but with the issues concerning the plague taking over everything else, the Colonel knew he'd need to wait for a decision. It was something that General Landry told him after the latter recovered from the plague; that he'll be getting some news tomorrow.

As the Colonel and his sister just silently looked up at the stars for a few more minutes, the both of them turned to look over their shoulders as Buffy and Willow hurried though the kitchen door, and into the pool area. Tara and the Colonel then stood up in concern while they looked at Willow's worried face; the older man then watched the arm that was pulling Buffy along, with Willow telling her that she needed to tell him about something, that he won't think she was weird.

"I just know it, Buff," said Willow gently before looking at the Colonel, "right, John?"

"About what?" asked a confused Colonel Sheppard.

"Buffy," asked Tara, "what's wrong?"

Buffy sighed, shook her head, and then looked at the Colonel, "John, I sometimes have prophetic Slayer dreams. And I had one early this morning before I woke up to get some water. And it's… well…"

"Let's go back to the room, and talk," said the Colonel as Willow, Buffy, and Tara, led the Colonel to their room where he asked Buffy to tell him everything she saw.

TBC.

 


	46. Chapter 46

**Willow, Tara, and Buffy's Room, Sheppard Residence, 2344 hours.**

Tara, Willow, and Buffy… followed by Colonel Sheppard walked into the cool room, and closed the door behind them. Tara, and the other girls walked over to the bed where she and Willow sat down, while Buffy just stood while she watched the Colonel take a seat on the couch. They both of them looked at each other before the Slayer walked over to the bed and sat next to Willow, who put her arm around Buffy's shoulders.

"Buffy?" asked the Colonel as he leaned forward, "so, you have prophetic dreams?"

"Yea," came the reply as Buffy explained that the dreams usually showed bit and pieces of information. She told him about the dreams she had after the day she moved to Sunnydale, and the dreams she had about the location of the Judge. She continued to tell him about some of the weirder prophetic dreams, stopping when the Major nodding his head and leaned back on the seat. Buffy looked at the Colonel's face, hoping to get a reaction, and was pleasantly surprised to find nothing.

He wasn't surprised or shocked; which made her even more curious about what it was that he was involved in. Buffy opened her mouth to ask him a question about what he had seen that made him so unsurprised about her revelations about her dreams. But, in the last minute, Buffy decided against it. She looked at Willow and Tara, and then back at the Colonel before telling him the subject about her latest dream, and then she told him the reasons why she didn't reveal anything about the dream.

"You didn't have to, Buffy," replied Tara gently as she leaned forward, and smiled at Buffy.

"You're happy, Tara," said Buffy, "I mean you're really happy with John, and your dad. And… I mean you're home and it's your brother's wedding. Didn't want to make you worried about this."

Tara smiled at Buffy while Willow looked at the Colonel who was leaning back against the couch as he took out his phone. He then dialled a number while he looked at Buffy, who was now looking back at him, and asked her to give them details of what she saw to his Commanding Officer.

"And then we'll call the house, just to check in on them." Said the Colonel.

"I already talked to Giles," said Buffy, "he told me they've had no problems so far."

"Well," replied the Colonel as he dialled the number, activated the call, and then listened to the dial tone, "it's better to warn them."

Buffy nodded her head as the Colonel then spoke into the phone to General Landry. He told him that Buffy had a dream about something that he needed to hear about, and that it possibly meant having a team check out the school basement. Nodding his head, Colonel Sheppard them handed the phone to Buffy once General Landry asked the officer to put the young Slayer on the line. Once Buffy grabbed the phone, she told the General about everything that she told Colonel Sheppard about her dreams, and then ended with what she had seen.

Again, she was surprised at how calm the General seemed; as if it was something that he had experience with. Buffy couldn't deny that the back of her mind had this concern that Colonel Sheppard was part of another branch of the Initiative, and the General's calmness only heightened that suspicion.

But then, she would see that Tara trusted the man implicitly; and so, Buffy did as well.

As did Willow, Xander, and Dawn.

Once Buffy told the General everything she knew, the man asked her to head to the school after dark tomorrow. He told her that this was her choice, and that it wasn't an order.

"I'll send a team led by Colonel Sheppard to run recon on the validity of your dream," said the General, "but I'd prefer if you joined as well since you have the most experience with the supernatural."

That request brought back bad memories for Buffy. She remembered the mission that she was given by Professor Walsh to hunt down what Buffy thought was going to be a low level demon, or something even less than that. Instead, it ends up being a fight for her life since the weapon she was given by the Professor was sabotaged. Sensing that the young woman was hesitating, the Colonel asked for the phone from Buffy, who handed the device to him.

"Sir," said the Colonel as Buffy sat down next to him, "I think Buffy's hesitating a little on the part where she joins us. Might I recommend that she stays in the surveillance van? At least then we still get her expertise while we run the recon mission."

"That's fine too, Colonel," replied the General who then went on to tell him about the report he received from Sunnydale in regards to Faith and Spike's discovery. He told the Colonel that Major Klein had been told about Giles not mentioning this to Buffy. The Colonel glanced over at Buffy who was whispering with Tara and Willow, and then back on the floor. HE asked the General what he wanted to do; all the General said was that the house was protected for now.

"General O'Neill will be ordering you to stay in Sunnydale for the moment," said General Landry, "he'll call you tomorrow to make it official… act surprised."

"Yes, sir," replied the Colonel as he looked at Tara, who was talking to Willow, while Buffy turned to look at him, and then at Willow and Tara, "and sir, I'd like to request that my team join me in Sunnydale, sir."

"We've already sent a subspace message to the Daedalus," said the General as the Colonel smiled, "they should be just over halfway there by now. Hermiod will boost the signal to Atlantis. I don't see Dr. Weir having a problem with your request, and you'll have your team by tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," said the Colonel nodding his head. He then looked at Buffy, who was looking back at him, "and how about weapons?"

"High velocity rounds, incendiary rounds, our weapons, as well as Goa'uld staff weapons will be authorised for you and the military. We're still running a background check on Miss Summers and her friends, and once that's been cleared up; and if there are no problems, then they'll be read in tomorrow."

"I understand, sir," replied the Colonel while nodding his head, "thank you, sir."

"Oh," said the General before he let the Colonel go, "Major Davis will be talking with Dr. Giles tomorrow to find a way to send a message to the potentials heading to Sunnydale. The Summers house will be hard to defend if the number of Potential Slayers coming to Sunnydale is as high as we think it is. Major Davis will discuss the details with Dr. Giles tomorrow, and I'd like you and Miss Summers there as well, Major."

"We should be back in Sunnydale by evening, sir," said the Colonel. General Landry then told the leader of Atlantis Recon-1 to enjoy the rest of his break. The Colonel then put down the phone, and turned to Buffy, and then Willow and Tara before telling them the unclassified sections of what he and the General talked about.

It would be thirty minutes later that the Colonel left the room, and headed to his own. The man was about to reach for the door knob when he heard a door open to his left. He looked on as Buffy walked out of the room she shared with Willow and Tara, and then closed the door behind her before heading for him.

"John." Buffy was about to say more but was interrupted as the Colonel opened his door, and asked Buffy if she wanted to come inside. Nodding her head, the blonde Slayer followed the Colonel into his room. She turned as the Colonel closed the door behind him before he walked towards her.

"Are we okay?" she asked as the Colonel raised an eyebrow, "I mean with the whole psychic dreams thing. I mean, it happens sometimes and… well… its not something that I usually tell people. I mean it sounds weird saying 'hey, guess what? I have dreams that tell the future and it usually shows death and destruction, or people dancing and…."

"Dancing?" asked the Colonel.

"Long story," said Buffy as she turned towards the door, and then back at the Colonel, "ummmm… yeah, I should go and… you know… need sleep and all… and…"

"Yeah," replied the Colonel as he looked at the bed, "me too, and. Oh.. thanks for telling us about the dreams. Next time you have one, just let me know?"

"Yeah," replied Buffy nodding her head as Colonel Sheppard walked her back to the door. His hand was on the small of her back as he reached for the doorknob. She looked at his eyes as he opened the door for her, and the both of them just stood with the door opened out to the empty hallway for a few more seconds. Buffy then mumbled 'goodnight' before whimpering and then walking out of the door.

"Buffy," whispered the Colonel as he rushed out into the hallway as the Slayer turned around. He stopped in front of her, and then looked into her eyes. The Colonel surprised the Slayer by putting a hand on her shoulder, and then leaning forward and giving the blonde a kiss on her cheek, before whispering in her ear, "that was in return for the kiss in D.C, and as thanks for being my plus one."

The Colonel then looked into Buffy's eyes while the hand that was on Buffy's shoulder, moved to the back of her neck. The both of them looked at each other, their noses nearly touching; each could feel the other breathing on them. The Colonel and Buffy closed their eyes, and then tilted their heads as they got closer, their lips nearly touching.

"We… we can't," whispered Buffy at the last second. The both of them opened their eyes, and looked at each other as Buffy whispered that they still had a lot to deal with the First.

"Maybe we're letting the moment get to us," whispered the Colonel while he was gently rubbing the back of Buffy's neck. It was an unconscious act that he just realized, and hurriedly moved his hand off. He saw it was something that disappointed the Slayer, but she didn't say anything, "I.. I think we should get going."

"Yeah," whispered Buffy before she stepped back. The both of them then walked back to their respective rooms, with Buffy entering hers just as the Colonel gently closed his door. The Slayer stepped in and then yelped, and closed her eyes, as Tara and Willow parted from kissing each other, "you done?"

"Yeah," chuckled Willow as they looked on red-faced as Buffy opened her eyes, and closed the door behind her, "we're done. Sorry, you went out and… and we had an opportunity for…"

"I don't wanna know," said Buffy while waving her hands as Tara got off her bed and put her arms around Buffy's shoulders before walking her to the couch.

"So," asked Tara sitting beside the Slayer, while Willow sat on Buffy's right side, "did anything…"

"Nothing happened," said Buffy as she looked at Tara, "I mean… nothing happened."

"Which means something happened," smirked Willow, "I know you, Buff."

"I swear… I mean…"

"Spill… details… now," said Willow grinning and nodding her head while Tara chuckled and shook her head.

"If you and John… I mean…" said Tara before she made smooching sounds, "then I am out of here.. I don't want to hear.. and.."

"NO!" yelped Buffy shaking her head, "I mean…. I mean he kissed me and we almost kissed again and…."

"Seriously, SPILL," hissed Willow before giving off a wide grin.

"Fine,' sighed Buffy as Tara put an arm around the Slayer's shoulder, and the three of them leaned back on the couch.

**Dr. Weir's office, Atlantis.**

Dr. Weir was going through the latest mission reports when she looked up from her laptop at a group of people standing outside her glass door. The woman waved them in, and then closed the top of her laptop before standing up, and nodding her head. She watched as a tanned woman closed the door behind her, and then she started the briefing while putting her hand on a tablet on her table.

"We've received a message from the Daedalus that Home World has approved Atlantis Recon -1 to head to Earth through the Stargate," said Dr. Weir as Mackay stepped forward and asked if Colonel Sheppard was all right. Dr. Weir nodded her head before saying that things had changed in Sunnydale, that something bad was coming and that Colonel Sheppard requested his team.

"Will I be permitted to go to Earth as well?" asked a brown eyed, dark haired young woman who gave a wide smile when Dr. Weir nodded her head. She clapped her hands excitedly, much to the bemusement of Ronon and Teyla, while Mackay just rolled his eyes saying that it wasn't that exciting.

"This is my first time leaving for the home of my creator," said the young woman.

"Technically," said Mackay turning to the young woman, "I am your creator, well… technically. I'm the one who repaired the cloning tanks on MT6-765 and…"

"Well," said Ronon looking at Mackay with a smirk, "you had Zalenka and a group of other scientists helping you, and…"

"People," said Dr. Weir. Everyone quietened down. She then looked at the young woman and told her that she needed to study a cover story of who she was if any outsider should ask. She looked at the sadness that appeared on the young woman's face, it was as if telling a child that they count have ice-cream, and she frowned, "Rose, you know who you are and…."

"A weapon designed by Athena to battle the Wraith, Dr. Weir," said Rose.

"Yes, that's what you are," said Dr. Weir gently, "who are you?"

"I am Rose Turner," she said, "member of AR-1."

"You will be given a packet which contains information on your full cover," said Dr Weir as she looked at Rose, "I know we haven't needed a cover identity for you since you, and your brothers and sisters, have been living in Atlantis. But now that you are heading for Earth… you have some studying you are required to do."

"Yes, please." Rose said as she nodded her head vigorously.

"Since we've gotten that out of the way," said the diplomat as she picked up the tablet on her table, "I've received everything we need to know about this threat. To be honest with you, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this. All I can tell you is that if this gets out of control? Then it's bad for all of Earth."

"Then let's begin," said Ronon while he leaned against a wall, Rose and Teyla sat next to one another, and Mackay was handed the tablet as he sat down. Dr. Weir then leaned against the edge of her table, and began the briefing.

TBC

 


	47. Chapter 47

**The Sheppard Residence, 1700 hours.**

It was earlier that day that Colonel Sheppard received a call from General Landry saying that background checks for the Scoobies had come through; Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Xander were allowed to know the truth about the SGC and the Stargate due to the approval of the staff weapons outside the confines of the SGC. While the fact that Willow hacked into Colonel Sheppard's file had come up, it was put aside as an issue since Willow had been unknowingly helping them develop new technology; and the hope was that once she knew what she was dealing with.. she would be able to assist them even more.

But for now, the First had to be taken care off.

It was in the large foyer at the San Francisco residence, that Tara was holding on tight to Patrick. Father and daughter held on to each other for minutes before they separated, each telling the other that they'll be seeing each other soon.

"There are some things that I'd like to tell you, dad," said Tara as Colonel Sheppard walked next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Patrick then hugged the Colonel telling the man that he was thankful he was able to come, and that he was welcome home any time.

"Willow," said Patrick as he opened his arms out wide. The redhead smiled and walked into the hug as Patrick held her tight, whispering in Willow's ear o look out for each other; for herself and Tara. Willow nodded her head, and then stepped back before Patrick smiled at Buffy and hugged her as well. It wasn't long before the four of them were in the rental car heading for the airport.

The Colonel, while on the drive to the airport, told the young women that they were going to make a detour. That instead of going straight to Sunnydale, they were heading off to Colorado Spring. Tara turned with surprise on her face and looked at her brother, while Buffy and Willow who were in the back seat, looked at each other with concern on their faces before Buffy and the redhead moved towards the middle of the back seat. Each of them held onto the seat in front of them, and then leaned further forward, the Colonel looking at the rear-view mirror at Buffy who was right behind him, and then at Willow, whose chin was on Tara's shoulder.

Buffy was about to say something when the Colonel looked back out to the road, and told the three of them that there was something they needed to see first. The Colonel glanced over at Tara, who then opened her eyes wide, while he nodded his head.

"John?" gasped Tara as Buffy and Willow, both of whom were surprised at the recognition on the blonde witch's face. They suspected that Tara knew why they were heading off to Colorado Springs instead of Sunnydale, but Buffy could tell that she was surprised by the timing; the fact that they were going right now.

And it brought certain suspicions back to the surface.

"Tara?" asked Willow, "you know something?"

"Yea," Tara replied as she looked over her shoulder at Willow's confused face, "it's nothing bad, I.. I need you to trust me. I.. I guess I can tell you what I know once we get there… right, John?"

"Actually we were just going there to pick up a few friends; but I did get permission to bring Buffy and Willow to where we'll be getting some help from for this First Evil thing," said the Colonel nodding his head as he looked at Buffy, who was looking back at him from the rear0view mirror, "Buffy, with the destruction of the Council, the people I work for aren't concerned that you may have some divided loyalties. And.. and they've already run a check on you, Giles, and the others. They'll be getting the same information later tonight, but this is something that'll sink in for the both of you especially once you've seen it."

"Seen what?" asked Willow.

"You'll see," replied the Colonel with a smirk on his face as he looked at Buffy who arched an eyebrow at him.

"This is my first time seeing it too," said Tara as she looked at the Colonel. She had seen the Daedalus, but not the Stargate, and her mind was now wondering what it looked like.

"Seeing what?" asked Buffy who turned to look at Tara.

"You'll see," chuckled Tara as Buffy frowned.

"Willow and Buffy," said the Colonel, "you'll have to sign non-disclosure form and.. and I know what you're going to say, Buffy. No, this isn't anything related with the Initiative, but this does have a very important role to play. I.. I just need you guys to hold off any questions, ok?"

"Alright," said the blonde Slayer as she looked suspiciously at the Colonel, while listening to Tara excitedly telling Willow that she'll absolutely love what's going to be revealed. It was an hour later that the Colonel drove the car into a private airfield where there was a jet already waiting for them. He parked the rental car near a hanger while two uniformed personnel grabbed Buffy, Tara, and Willow's bags and then placed them in the hold. The Colonel handed the keys off to another young man in uniform before leading Tara and the others towards the stairs.

"Colonel Mitchell, sir," said the pilot as he nodded his head, "there has been a last minute change to the plan. General Landry has ordered me to head directly to the Sunnydale Army Base. You'll be meeting your team there."

"Let me guess, they came in early, and Ronon started getting impatient?" asked the Colonel.

"That's the gist of it, sir," chuckled the pilot.

"That's fine," said the Colonel before turning and asking the others to get on the plane. He then turned around and looked on as the Captain handed him his new orders which had been only received an hour ago. The Colonel looked through the orders and confirmed everything the Captain had told him, "are the NDA's on the plane?"

"Yes, sir," said the Captain as the Colonel nodded his head.

"Let's get going then, Captain," said Colonel Sheppard as he rushed up the stairs, with the pilot right behind him. Colonel Sheppard entered the main cabin and saw Willow and Buffy seated together with a table between them and two other seats, one of which was already occupied by Tara. He saw Tara looking back at him, as the door to the plane closed, and then she patted the leather chair next to her. Nodding his head, the Colonel first walked to a side table where there were two blue folders with the Air Force logo embossed on the cover.

He picked the folders up, and then walked over to the empty seat as the plane began to taxi towards the runway.

"I need the both of you to read through these," said the Colonel as he handed one to Buffy, and then one to Willow before leaning back on the seat, "and then sign. I know you have a lot of questions, but what I'm gonna tell you is big… really big. Everything you're going to hear is classified at the highest level. Basically, once you sign this… your clearances jump up a few pegs."

"What's that mean though?" asked Buffy shaking her head as she opened the folder, "I mean…"

"Buffy," said Tara, "I.. I've seen things that John deals with, and.. and it's amazing. Some of the things are scary, but… wow.."

"You know about.. I mean… what John's been dealing with?" asked Willow as she looked at Tara when the plane took off into the air.

"Yeah," said Tara as she raised an eyebrow at Willow, along with a smirk on her lips; the same smirk she knew would drive the redhead crazy, before she pouted, "but I can't tell you unless you sign."

"That's dirty pool," laughed Willow as Tara stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend playfully while Buffy just leaned forward with her arms on the table and stared at the Colonel.

"You know what the Initiative did," said Buffy as Willow and Tara stopped laughing and looked at the blonde Slayer. The Colonel nodded his head before Buffy told him about Adam again, and the fact that she and her friends were targeted by Adam, and before that she was nearly killed by Professor Walsh before continuing, "can you honestly tell me that we won't have to deal with any of that?"

"Yes," said the Colonel, "I can tell you right now that nothing that happened in the Initiative, will happen to you.. or Tara... or Willow. Buffy, you trusted me enough to tell me the truth about who you are, and what you do. Willow trusted me enough to tell me that she's a witch, and so did Tara. And that was all before Tara knew about my job. And we've left you alone because that's what you wanted, remember?"

"Yeah," admitted Buffy nodding her head.

"What we have to tell you, is directly related to the weapons that we'll be training you guys in," said the Colonel as Willow and Buffy narrowed their eyes at him at the mention of weapons, "I know that ordinary rounds wont kill vampires, but what we have.. we;;, lets just say for now that our latest rounds are very special. But I need you to sign the forms, Buffy."

"So no experiments?" asked Buffy.

"No," said the Colonel, "you may have to go through a medical.. and I'll explain the reason why later on, but no… we won't be experimenting on you, or anyone. Although we might be coming to you for help with a few.. well… problems."

"Problems?" asked Willow as she looked at the Colonel, and then she noticed Tara shuddering. The blonde was thinking about the time she was taken hostage by a Goa'uld possessed Colonel Caldwell on the Daedalus, and it sent a chill up her spine. Tara then looked at Willow and told her that her brother dealt with some 'speciality' problems.

"We don't do experimentation on demons either, Buffy," said the Colonel as Buffy sighed and leaned back on her seat, and just stared at the Colonel, "I know it's a big ask, I'm just asking you to trust me."

"What happens if we decide not to sign the papers," asked Willow.

"I can have you, Tara, and Buffy sent…"

"I'm not leaving for anything, John," said Tara as she looked at her brother, "and not another word about it."

"Yes ma'am," said the Colonel as Tara chuckled before she looked at Buffy and then at Willow. She then leaned forward and held on to the redhead's hand while the Colonel said that the two of them would be sent to McMurdo Airbase for their safety, "I mean… I don't really think the First can get its people to get you through the freezing cold in the middle of nowhere."

"You're serious?" asked Buffy as she leaned forward again.

"Deadly serious," said the Colonel, "just say the word; you and Willow will be sent to McMurdo. You'll be safe there… at least we hope you'll be safe."

"Buffy?" asked Willow as she looked at the Slayer, who in turn looked over at Tara.

"I.. I know I've hid things from you guys," said Tara, "and I understand if you don't trust my opinion on this but… but I've seen and heard things that are amazing. And I so wished that I could tell you guys but… but I couldn't to protect John, and his work. The work that his friends do are too important and… I didn't want to put it in danger, Buffy. This secret is big and.. and I didn't want it to get out."

"She was following the NDA, Buffy," said the Colonel as Buffy turned to look at him, "it's exactly what you, Willow, Giles, and the others who sign on will have to follow. It's a big secret, Buffy."

Buffy looked at the Colonel for a few seconds before turning to Tara who was talking to Willow, the two young women holding each others hands. The blonde Slayer then looked at the Colonel once again and found herself having no choice. She could either sign the document, or be sent to the middle of a frozen wasteland which, she mentally admitted to herself, would keep her and Willow relatively safe.

'But I'd be leaving the others to fight on their own,' thought Buffy to herself a she glanced at Willow, 'I can't do that, and I know Willow won't either.'

Buffy then looked at the Colonel, and then sighed before leaning forward and signed the documents. Once Willow was done, and the two folders were in the Colonel's hands. He and Tara looked at each other, with the blonde witch excitedly asking him if she could start.

"Sure," smiled the Colonel as Tara turned to Buffy and Willow, before excitedly saying that she was taken hostage by an alien who took control of a human body, on an Air Force spaceship.

Willow and Buffy looked at Tara with both of their mouths hanging open as Tara excitedly clapped while talking about meeting an alien on board the ship.

"A good alien," said Tara excitedly, "and.. and… I'm telling you it was so cool. Oh.. Oh… I was on another alien ship that took me, John, Dr. Weir, and their boss to see the Andromeda galaxy and… and….

"Willow? Buffy?" asked the Colonel as the two young women silently stared at him and Tara.

"No way," said Buffy shaking her head a few seconds later after the Colonel waved his hand in front of her face, "no…"

"There.. there are no such things as aliens and…"

"Like here are no such things as vampires and demons?" asked Tara as Buffy and Willow looked at her in shock.

"Buffy, Willow," said the Colonel as he leaned forward towards the still stunned Buffy, "in the early 1900's, a group of archaeologists found an alien, ring-shaped device in Giza; a Stargate."

TBC.

 


	48. Chapter 48

**The Sunnydale Army Base,**

Rose was standing with her hands in the pockets of her jeans while she looked over her shoulder and observed Mackay, Ronon, and Teyla waiting at the entrance to one of the hangers on the Sunnydale Army base for Colonel Sheppard's plane to land. She was outside listening to Ronan impatiently asking Teyla if Colonel Sheppard's plane was getting close to landing. Rose was chuckling as Teyla shook her head before telling him that her answer was the same as it was a few minutes ago; that he would be landing in twenty minutes. Rose then turned to Mackay who was checking the cases of weapons that had been sent over with them, weapons that included zats and Goa'uld staff weapons. She watched as Mackay supervised the weapons being loaded onto a truck, while a few cases were being loaded into two SUV's that would be driven to the Summers house.

It was something that excited Rose. She had heard stories about Colonel Sheppard's sister, and she wanted to meet the young woman. However, the one thing that Rose wanted over all else, was to meet her creator.. to meet her mother for lack of a better term.

However, she knew it was something that wasn't possible. Dr. Weir and Mackay had told her and her brothers and sisters that Athena had ascended to another plain of existence. And she wasn't coming back.

She remembered her life so far. The day she opened her eyes in the cloning tanks was the first day of her new life. The first person she had seen upon waking up was Dr. Weir who she later found out was the leader of the Atlantis Expedition. Although she couldn't explain why, Rose was very protective of Dr. Weir; staying by her side when off-world, and even in Atlantis.

It was a few days later, after reports that the clones were following around a select group of people, specifically those who were present when the clones awoke from their slumber. Dr. Weir was the first person that Rose had seen, and she imprinted herself on the diplomat. Out of all the participants in the Atlantis Expedition, Rose was the most protective of Dr. Weir. This would be true for the rest of the clones as well.

It would be Dr. Weir, and the people who the clones had imprinted on who would teach the clones on basic etiquette, and that was only after the clones had been taught language skills. It was a surprise for the scientists at Atlantis that the clones, while they were already proficient in combat, still had lots of things to learn; from language to history, to societal customs. Their greatest surprise was the speed at which the clones learned everything they were taught, it was like teaching sponges; the clones would absorb every bit of knowledge that they were taught.

Eventually, the clones were put on teams; and since Rose was the first of them to wake up.. she was placed on AR-1. She was trained in modern weapons, as were her brothers and sisters, which they managed to pick up in only days. And were now capable of handling any Earth made weapon with any issues. Combined with their genetic memory of ancient forms of fighting, and weapon handling… the clones were considered to be a rousing success.

While Rose knew she was created to fight the Wraith, she also wanted to be more… so she began meditating with Teyla while Dr Weir started tutoring her on languages. It was similar with the other clones, everything was new to them and they wanted to know more.

"You are deep in thought, Rose," whispered Teyla as she nudged the young woman.

"Yes," came the reply as Rose gave a small smile, "I was just thinking of what I could do while I am here on Earth. I realize that we are here to help in the battle with this being known as the First Evil."

"Or rather it's agents," said Teyla as Rose nodded her head before turning her head to looked over her shoulder at Ronon who had opened a case, and tenderly brushed his fingers along the barrel of his energy weapon. Rose smiled and then turned back to Teyla before saying that she was right, they were here to battle the agents of the First Evil and to ensure that it didn't take physical form.

"But I would really like to taste this… ice-cream," whispered Rose as Teyla smiled and nodded her head.

"As would I," replied Teyla while Rose gave a huge grin on her face as she talked about the various flavours and topping that she had heard of from some of the Scientists. Rose knew that her brothers and sisters envied her since she was going to Earth, but they still told her to be wary.

While Rose and Teyla were talking, thirty minutes away was the plane carrying Colonel Sheppard, Tara, and a still very surprised Buffy and Willow. The both of them were asking one question after another, mostly about aliens and the spaceships. It wasn't long before Willow and Buffy just leaned back on their seats while they thought of more things to ask, but nothing came to mind. Now that that they had finished talking about the Goa'uld, the Ancients, and the Ori… including the plague being released by the Priors so that Earth would fall since they were a threat; the Colonel went on to talk about Atlantis.

"Buffy, Willow," said the Colonel as he looked at the both of them while the plane was still slicing through the air, and had already begun its descent, "the both of you will be trained in firing weapons and…"

"John," said Buffy, while Willow grinned, "you know that…"

"I'm not talking about regular rounds," said the Colonel, "we've gotten authorization to use plasma energy weapons and…"

"Oh goddess," cried Willow as she jumped u p and down on her seat while Buffy turned and looked at her best friend with an eyebrow arched up, while Tara couldn't help but laugh at her girlfriend's reaction, "you're serious? Plasma? As in… plasma? Please do not be kidding me with this and…. Oh dear Lord I'm geeking now aren't I?"

"I love it when you geek out, Willow," said Tara as she reached for an grabbed Willow's hand.

"What's that mean and…?" asked a confused Buffy.

"Buffy," said Willow, "imagine a vampire getting hit with energy nearly as hot as a sun. I mean not that hot.. probably not.. but really, really hot."

"Dust," whispered Buffy looking at Willow, and then at Colonel Sheppard who smirked at the Slayer, "they can turn to dust and…"

"We also have something called a Zat," said the Colonel, "it shoots a beam of electricity that can usually stun something… or someone in one shot. Two shots kills… and three shots atomises it."

"Oh I need to play with this technology and… oh God…. John?" Willow called for the Colonel in a sheepish voice before continuing, "Can.. can you ask Dr. Carter if I can… you know.. if I can play around with the tech?"

"I…."

"Please?" asked Willow bouncing on the chair as Tara chuckled at Willow. The Colonel then nodded his head as Willow cheered. Buffy patted the redhead on her shoulder before turning towards the Colonel once again, and managed a small smile.

"So," she said, "when you said long distance, you meant… other planets."

"Not exactly, I mean yes… but technically no," said the Colonel while Buffy looked at Willow, and then back at the Colonel once again with confusion on both their faces, "I… I'm part of an international expedition that's occupying an outpost. From that outpost, we're exploring the Pegasus galaxy."

"You're kidding me," said Buffy and Willow together before looking at Tara. She just raised her hands and admitted she knew about it, but she hadn't been there.

"Yet," said Tara as she turned towards the Colonel and smirked.

"One day," said the Colonel as he put his arm around Tara's shoulder, "one day, sis."

Tara just blushed, as she always did when Colonel Sheppard called her 'sis' as lay her head on his shoulder. In the meantime, Colonel Sheppard told Buffy and Willow that he and the team were occupying Atlantis. Before the two excited young women could interrupt him, Colonel Sheppard told them that Atlantis was the very ship that the Ancients had used to get out of the Milky Way. He continued with the Ancients being in a war a million years later in the Pegasus galaxy against the Wraith.

"Space Vampires?" asked Buffy, "seriously? Space Vampires?"

"Oh yeah," replied the Colonel, "and trust me, its not like the vampires you face, Buffy. Compared to the vampires here, you can't stake a Wraith and they turn to dust. These things are alive, and then feed on human life-forces."

"But…" asked Willow when she was interrupted by the Colonel.

"The Wraith feed on the life-force of a human being, lets say it feeds on you?" said the Colonel which a frown, "you'll become a dried out husk."

"Oh," said the redhead as she continued to hold onto Tara's hand as the plane touched down onto the tarmac, "so they don't get turned."

"No, just a nasty death," said the Colonel, "I've seen it happen to people I worked with."

"I'm sorry," said Willow, while Buffy nodded her head.

"That's why you and the others were so… okay with the weirdness in Sunnydale," mumbled Buffy.

"Yeah," said the Colonel nodding his head, "and…. And I have some people I'd like for you to meet."

It took five minutes for the plane to taxi to a stop at the hanger. Rose, Teyla, Mackay, and Ronon stood grouped together as the plane came to a stop, and then the door opened. Teyla was the one to step forward as she greeted Colonel Sheppard, followed by Tara.

"Tara," said the Colonel as he placed a hand on Teyla's back, "this is Teyla Emmagen, the first person we met on our first day in the Pegasus galaxy."

"Tara," smiled Teyla as she shook her hand, "John has told us a lot about you. It is good to finally meet you and…"

"It… it cannot be," said Rose as she stepped forward once Willow had followed Buffy out of the plane. Buffy was looking at Teyla, and the way that the Colonel was standing next to her, and felt jealous. It was a feeling she pushed back when she noticed a dark haired young woman next to the large man walking towards the stairs with her eyes wide open. She was staring at them.

'No, she's staring at Willow,' thought Buffy to herself as she looked at the equally surprised redhead.

"Rose?" asked John as he walked towards the dark haired young woman.

"My creator," whispered the young woman as memories flooded her mind of a red-haired woman, followed by an activation of a directive hidden in her genetic code meant to obey the orders of her creator. Rose smiled at Willow, who looked back in surprise as Rose went down on one knee and hung her head.

"Rose?" asked Teyla as she rushed to the young woman and asked her was wrong.

"And in case you forgot," said Mackay, "I'm the one who created you, and…."

"No you didn't," said Ronon as Willow, Tara, and Buffy looked at each other and mouthed silently, 'created'. They then turned to the Colonel, who said that he was going to explain everything when he introduced who Rose really was when the others found out the truth about the Stargate, the SGC, and Atlantis. He said that he too was confused on what was going on with Rose.

"Athena," said Rose as she looked up at Willow; ignoring everyone else, particularly the looks of surprise on the faces of AR-1, who looked at each other in stunned silence, before looking up at the very confused Willow, "I will follow your orders."

TBC.

 


	49. Chapter 49

**The Sunnydale Army Base,**

Tara looked on in surprise at Willow, whose eyes were wide open in equal surprise as the young woman at the bottom of the stairs slowly stood up with her arms by her side while looking up at the redhead, and a smile on her face. Tara then turned to the Colonel who was just as surprised as Buffy and the rest of his team; she then turned to her brother and whispered, "What's going on?"

Colonel Sheppard just shrugged his shoulders before walking towards Rose, and Teyla, who was standing next to the clone. The dark haired young clone was continuing to look at Willow before she turned to the Colonel, after he put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Rose," he asked gently while Buffy and a still nervous Willow walked down the stairs. Rose glanced at Willow for a moment, and gave her a wide smile, before looking at the Colonel once again, "do you remember us telling you that Athena ascended after she returned to Earth?"

"Yes," said Rose as the smile on her face slowly vanished when she recalled the Colonel saying that the Ancients had bred with the early humans after returning to Earth from Atlantis. The Colonel and Mackay then continued to say that t was simply possible that Willow was Athena's descendent. Rose shook her head as her smile completely vanished, and she looked down at the floor while Teyla placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Rose then turned to Willow while looking down at the ground, and apologized for her behaviour.

"No… no… that's fine, you're fine," said Willow nervously while Tara looked on and saw sadness just coming off Rose's aura. She then walked towards Willow and Buffy before telling Rose that the blonde was Buffy, and the redhead was named Willow.

"And I'm Tara."

"I am Rose." Rose looked up at them, and then when she caught Willows eyes, she looked back down as Teyla, and Ronan introduced themselves.

"So you're a Slayer," said the large man as he looked at Buffy, "Sheppard said you're strong?"

"A little," replied Buffy.

"I would…"

"While it would be interesting to see Miss Summers beat you into the ground, Ronan," said Teyla as Buffy gave off a little smirk while Ronan narrowed his eyes at her, "I believe it is time we gave her, Tara, and Willow an explanation of who Rose really is."

"When we went back to Atlantis," said the Colonel as Mackay stood next to him, "hold on, lets start this from the beginning. Before I left D.C, I received information from a source that kind of told me about an Ancient named Athena."

Tara looked at the Colonel, who looked back at her and remembered the day that they were leaving the hotel in D.C. Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and Xander were waiting outside the lobby for a cab, while Tara and Colonel Sheppard were talking with Laura Maclay; all of which was unknown to Buffy and the others. Tara remembered her mother saying something about the goddess Athena, but she never realized that she meant an ascended Ancient. She and the others listened as the Colonel talked about discovering a project by Athena, a project to create living weapons that would destroy the Wraith once and for all.

"Rose," whispered Tara as she, Willow, and Buffy looked at the young woman.

"There were going to be thousands of clones," said Mackay as he pulled up the information on his tablet, and then showed them the rotating image of a DNA strand. He was pointing to particular areas while saying that she had built a genetic mechanism into the clones to control them, to subvert their free will, and to prevent them from ever rising up against their creators.

"A genetic bomb," said the Colonel as Rose looked at Willow, who was looking at Tara and Barry in shock. However, when the redhead noticed that she was being looked at, Rose would look away towards the floor. The more they talked about Athena's project for creating living weapons, the more the three young women were stunned at what they were hearing about how all the clones would be destroyed by a single command once the order had been given to self-destruct.

"The Ancients disapproved of this project due to the clones being living beings," said Teyla.

"And killing them all would have been an act of genocide," whispered Tara as Buffy and Willow frowned. Tara reached for Willow's hand, and gently squeezed as they thought about a galaxy full of thousands of beings that were simply murdered. Tara listened as Willow gently told Rose that she wasn't Athena.

"And I'm glad I'm not her," said Willow as Rose looked at the floor, occasionally looking up to glance at the redhead, but eventually looking back onto the floor.

Rose nodded her head in sadness while Willow explained that she can't see herself, or any ancestor of hers, that would do such a cruel thing to a living being. It was a sentiment that Buffy shared, but Tara thought that there was more than that… that there had to be a reason why an Ancient would do such a thing.

And that's what she asked Colonel Sheppard and Teyla, after the Colonel had asked Mackay and Ronan to put the boxes and cases of weapons into the SUV's. While the Colonel whispered at Rose, asking her to help Ronan and Mackay, It was Teyla who answered.

"We spoke to an ascended being named Chaya," said the Athosian woman while Rose trudged towards Ronan and Mackay. The Colonel saw her heading to the other two members of his team, and then turned back towards Buffy, Tara, and Willow while Teyla was telling them what they had learned from Chaya after their return to Pegasus. Tara, Buffy and Willow listened as Teyla and the Colonel told them about Athena and Hera, the two sisters who loved each other a great deal. The Colonel and Teyla told the three young women everything that Chaya had told them about Hera and Athena's lives,, and then they talked about how Hera died and Athena lost the person that kept her grounded.

"She was angry," whispered Buffy as she thought about Dawn, and what she'd do if it was Dawn who died the way that Hera did; at the hands of a Wraith.

"Yes," said Teyla nodding her head, "Chaya told us that Athena created various weapons to destroy the Wraith, including something that would have destroyed all life in the galaxy. The clones, these living weapons, were the final project before the Ancients returned to Earth."

"But what's so special about these weapons, John?" asked Buffy whose eyes widened in surprise when the Colonel told her the genetic enhancements that Athena had made to the clones. Buffy then raised her hand and interrupted the Colonel, "wait up, you're telling me that Athena created something that was just as powerful as a Slayer?"

"We think so," said Colonel Sheppard, it was an answer that made the three young women look at each other, and then at the Colonel again. He then told them that there were only five clones, including Rose, on Atlantis. The clones were to be used on Atlantis only; the IOA agreeing that these living weapons would not be used by any military on Earth since the power contained in just one of these clones, if duplicated, could change the balance of power if any one nation managed to get a hold of the genetic sequence on Earth. The Colonel then looked back at Rose, and said that that Rose was a member of his team, and as such she was allowed to come back to Earth as long as she stayed close to them.

"Atlantis holds the gene sequences of all its former Ancient residents," said Teyla, "however, we have not been able to access Athena's or Hera's sequences. Those have been locked away, and it requires, according to Dr. Beckett, Athena's genetic imprint to unlock. I suspect it is because of the dangerous experiments she conducted during the war. And we suspect that it was she who locked out Hera's genetic sequence as well. So for Rose's body, we use the genetic information from an Ancient identified as Melia."

"That's a nice name," said Tara as she looked at Rose, and then at Teyla, "did you name her?"

"It was Dr. Weir," said the Athosian woman as she looked at rose who was lifting a box of weapons effortlessly, "she loved the smell of roses that we grow in the hydroponics bay."

"Now," said the Colonel as Ronan yelled at them from the far corner of the hanger that everything was packed into the SUV's, "we should get going."

"Yea," said Buffy as she walked past the Colonel with Willow by her side, her arm brushing the Colonel's. She looked back at the Colonel while Tara held his hand, and narrowed her eyes at him, before giving him a small smile. She then turned her head towards Buffy and Willow, before walking towards the SUV's.

"Buffy likes you," whispered Tara as she walked hand in hand with her brother.

"Shhh," said the Colonel while Teyla walked next to him, with a smirk on her face.

"She does indeed, John," said Teyla while Tara chuckled, and the Colonel's face turned red in embarrassment.

TBC.

 


	50. Chapter 50

**The Summers Residence.**

Dawn was the first one to literally leap across the foyer to the front door once she heard the door bell, followed by a thump outside the door on the porch. And then she heard the voices; first was Colonel Sheppard, and then Buffy, who was laughing with Tara and Willow. Opening the door with a grin on her face, Dawn welcomed the Colonel with a hug as Buffy rolled her eyes upwards. The young brunette then welcomed Buffy, Tara and then Willow while asking how the wedding went.

"And I was worried about that whole influenza thing," Dawn said as she released Tara while looked at Buffy, "and…"

"That's why I called you guys," Buffy reminded Dawn who then noticed the MacKay walking next to three strangers, who were coming up the pathway carrying cases in their hands from the SUVs that were parked on the street. She waved at them while grinning at the tall man just as Fred, and the Potential Slayers showed up at the door, followed by Major Klein who was training them in the backyard.

"Colonel, I'm Major Mark Klein," said the Major as he straightened up and nodded his head at Colonel Sheppard.

"Major," said the Colonel as he nodded his head before waving his hand while asking the Major to be at ease, "how's it going?"

"Just been training the Potential Slayers, sir," said the Major before he signalled Captain Weiss, who had come up behind him in a pair of track pants and a grey shirt with a whistle around his neck. The man nodded his head at the Colonel, just as Major Klein did, and then stepped aside while Colonel Sheppard introduced Ronon, Teyla, Mackay, and Rose to the two officers.

"Oh, oh," said Dawn as she pointed at the Potential Slayers and then motioned towards Buffy, "Molly, Annabelle, and Kennedy… this is Buffy."

"Hey, Potential guys," said Buffy as she and the others brought in their bags into the house, while Teyla and the others who were carrying the cases spoke to the two officers and asked them to take the cases to the basement.

"What's in there?" asked Kennedy who was biting into a cookie.

"Nothing you need to know for now," said the Colonel as Major Klein and Captain Weiss helped bring the cases into the house, along with Teyla, Ronon, and Rose. While Tara closed the door behind her, while Buffy was asking Dawn about Faith, the blonde witch felt a strange sensation going up and down her spine. She looked around discretely at the people around here while Buffy looked on in surprise as Dawn told her about Faith and Spike's injuries on battling the Turok-Han. While Buffy, her face etched with worry, asked why she wasn't told about what happened before asking about Faith; Tara stopped at Kennedy who was looking at Willow. She could see the attraction that the Potential Slayer had for her girlfriend, and could help but have a smirk on her face when she approached Willow and placed her hand on the small of her back.

"We should get all of this stuff to our rooms," said Tara as Willow nodded her head at her. Taking a glance at Kennedy, Tara saw her aura switch colours to one of jealousy before she and Willow walked past the Potential Slayers. And up the stairs to their rooms. In the meantime, at the bottom of the stair, Colonel Shepard asked Major Klein the whereabouts of the others while Kennedy then looked at Teyla, but felt that there was something off about her. She then looked at Ronon who the other two girls were already fawning over, the larger man looking uncomfortable at the attention while Teyla chuckled.

And then she looked at Rose. She looked her up and down, and a smirk appeared on her lips as she saw her lift two of the cases before following the Captain into the house, followed by Teyla and Ronon, who had to extricate himself from the two young woman. While they walked past her, Kennedy looked back up the stairs at the direction that Willow had gone.. and gave a small smile. She had always gotten what she wanted, and she would freely admit to anyone that she was a brat for that exact same reason; and she wanted Willow.

Kennedy guessed that the best way to get closer to Willow, was to try and break into Faith's inner circle. She was the only Slayer she knew, and now there was Buffy. Kennedy knew that she had to break in somehow, and show Willow what she could do.

'The other one seems boring, Red,' smiled Kennedy as she looked away from the stairs and walked towards the dining area where Colonel Sheppard was talking t o Buffy, Major Klein, and Captain Weiss, 'I'm not… and I know the perfect way to break in.'

"So," said Kennedy as she headed towards Colonel and the others, "do we get to talk about what happens now? What if the Turok-han's coming after us now? We'll need training and weapons and…"

"I'm sure they have a plan, Kennedy," said Annabelle in her English accent while Molly just looked on while leaning on a wall as Dawn walked by and stood next to Buffy.

"Where's Faith and Spike?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Potential Slayers, and then at Dawn.

"At the Magic Box," said Dawn, "they'll be here in an hour."

"How bad was Faith hurt?" asked the Colonel as he looked at Major Klein. However, it was Kennedy who stepped forward and answered.

"She was hurt bad," replied the Potential, "cuts, bruises, name it… she had it. So did Spike, who I still can't believe we're working with."

"Yeah, well," said Buffy as she glanced at the Colonel, before looking at Kennedy once again, "we need all the help we can get."

"I'll talk to General O'Neill and Landry," said the Colonel as he looked at Major Klein, and Captain Weiss, "for right now, we've been authorised to give these guys full disclosure."

"Full, sir?" asked the Major as Teyla, Ronon, and then Rose walked out of the kitchen. The three of them had been in the basement where they kept all the weapons they brought over. Rose stood nervously with Teyla, as Willow and Tara walked back down the stairs and stepped into the dining room. Rose knew that Willow was Athena, she could feel it right in her very soul. But she knew that there was no way to force Willow to accept that she was her creator, so Rose just promised to do her best to keep Willow safe.

"Hi," said Kennedy as she held Willow's arm, and guided her to stand next to her. The redhead raised her eyebrow at the Potential Slayer, and then she looked at Tara who was chuckling while patting her shoulder. The redhead then frowned at Kennedy before slowly extricating her hand from Kennedy's, much to the Potential Slayer's chagrin. She looked on as Willow and Tara walked over to the Colonel and Buffy, with Tara looking over her shoulder at Kennedy with a smirk on her face.

The blonde witch knew that there was something different about herself. Ever since she met the Scoobies, she had been slowly changing and coming out of her shell. Upon meeting Colonel Sheppard for the first time, Tara knew that she would be changing even more…. But she never realized how much. Her confrontation with Kathy at the hospital was the first sign that she was consciously aware that she displayed a change in attitude, and while it scared her a little, she welcomed it. Where she knew that once upon a time she would have cowered at Kathy's demand… Tara instead pushed back. She knew that she had been stuttering less, and less… and she felt her confidence growing. And now, Tara could tell that Kennedy was trying to flirt with Willow; and the blonde witch knew that if she was the Tara of old… then she would have been worried that Willow would leave her.

Just as she was worried when Oz came back a year ago.

But she wasn't worried now. As she looked back at Kennedy with a smirk on her face, Tara was mentally telling the young woman to try her best. She trusted Willow.

"Kennedy's right about one thing, John," said Buffy who had her arms crossed over her chest, "if this Shaka-khan.."

"Turok-Han," corrected Dawn.

"Right, Turok-Han," nodded Buffy, "what if this thing's powerful enough to injure a Slayer, and a vampire? Can we hold it off with… you know… your presents?"

"Oh, yeah," said Major Klein as Buffy, Tara, Willow, Dawn, and the Potentials looked at the man, "if Colonel Sheppard brought the weapons I think they brought, then we won't be holding this Turok-han off… we'll be dusting it."

"But that fancy electrical gun thingy didn't work with the Turok-Han," said Dawn as she looked at Captain Weiss who nodded his head, "I mean… DARPA may have to…"

"We have different weapons," said Teyla as Molly and Annabelle listened carefully, while Kennedy had her arms folded over her chest as she looked at everyone, occasionally ending up looking at Willow, and then at Rose. She looked over at the young woman and sensed that she was upset about something. Kennedy then looked over her body while she was standing next to Teyla. Kennedy wanted to be inside the inner circle as she watched Rose discretely, and now she had another way in.

"We'll give everyone a full briefing once they've come back," said Colonel Sheppard as he headed for the living room, "we have a lot to talk about."

"What about the Potential Slayers, sir," said the Major, "I mean, this place isn't really that secure, and there's only so much we can do if there is an invasion of these Turok-han."

"That's one of the things I'll be talking about once everyone gets back," said the Colonel as he looked at the Major, and then at Tara and Buffy, who was looking back at him with a look that screamed 'what else haven't you told anyone', "before we left, I was talking to General O'Neill who told me some stuff; he ordered me to tell everyone together."

"And the stuff you told us on the plane? Was that supposed to be all of us together?" asked Willow.

"Yep," replied the Colonel as he nodded his head before turning to the Major once again, "how about you continue with the Potentials' training. Maybe let Rose, Teyla, and Ronon in on your training. They'll be helping with training too."

"Yes, sir," said the Major and the Captain together.

"Rose," said the Colonel as he looked at the dark-haired young woman, "remember what you need to do, I mean… about your…."

"Of course, Colonel," said Rose with a smile, and a slight bow. She knew that the Colonel wanted to ask her not to use her full strength when she trains the Potentials, he didn't want anyone to be harmed. Not that she would, at least not anymore. As she, Teyla, and Ronon walked to the backyard; Rose remembered her first training session with her brothers and sisters.. she had used all of her strength and broken one of her trainers arms. It was after that incident that Rose and the other clones were taught to control their strength before continuing on with their training. Once Rose and the others were outside, she felt Kennedy brushing her fingers on her arm when walking past her. Rose looked at her arm, and then at the smile on Kennedy's face before they had begun training in front of the observers.

It was nearly one and a half hour later that Giles and the others returned to the Summers home. With Colonel Sheppard, Captain Weiss, and Major Klein in the Living Room with the Slayers, and all of their associates, Colonel Sheppard started the briefing. He rubbed his hands as he told the Potentials, Lorne, and the others that DARPA had been working on prototypes of energy based weaponry.

"Specifically Plasma firing weapons," said Major Klein as Giles and Spike looked at each other stunned, while the others just murmured amongst themselves. The Colonel nodded his head at Ronon, who reached behind him and took out a weapon that had a long barrel and had a red crystal at the back.

"That weapon can fire a ball of super heated plasma sealed inside a magnetic field, able to kill a vampire in four shots… maximum" said Ronon as he looked at Spike, "how about a volunteer?"

"Bloody hell no," said Spike as he leaned against the wall, avoiding looking at Buffy who was seated next to Dawn.

"DARPA has also created these weapons," said Teyla as she crouched down and opened a long case that was to the left of her. She then reached in and took out a staff weapon, and pointed the end at the Potential Slayers, "this can kill a vampire in less shots than Ronan's weapon. All of them plasma based weapons will be wielded by Buffy, Faith, and the ones who had had much more experience."

"But…." Kennedy put her hand up just as Rose spoke up.

"You," said Rose as she looked at Kennedy, "and the Potential Slayers, as well as any new Potentials that arrive in Sunnydale will be trained with the weapon that releases the electrical charge. You may not think it is useful, but that weapon is powerful."

"Fine," pouted Kennedy at Rose, who looked away nervously when a smile formed on Kennedy's face.

"That reminds me," said the Colonel, "how many more Potentials are we expecting, Giles? Wesley?"

"All of them are coming here," said Wesley.

"Any way to contact them?" asked the Colonel.

"I could get in touch with the Devon Coven, and ask them to send a message to all the potentials, and their Watchers if they are still alive," said Giles.

"Ok," said the Colonel, "before we boarded the flight from San Francisco, General O'Neill told me that he and his department are looking for a larger place."

"Home's not good enough," said Buffy nodding her head.

"No," replied the Colonel as he looked at Buffy, and then at Tara, "we have to move out of here to keep everyone safe."

Tara just smiled and nodded her head before asking Colonel Sheppard if they had a new place yet.

"Not yet," said the Colonel, "but he's sure we'll have something by tomorrow."

"Once I know the details," said Giles, "I'll notify the Devon Coven."

"Thanks," said Colonel Sheppard before turning to the Potential Slayers, and asking them to head out for a break, "sundown's still some time away so…"

"We can stay," said Kennedy while Annabelle was telling her that they needed to leave. Kenney waved her off before telling the Colonel that the Potentials had as much right as anyone else to hear what they were about to talk about, "our lives are on the line… the Frist is coming after us, and…"

"You and the Potentials have already been told what you need to know, Kennedy," said Tara gently. Kennedy looked at Tara in disbelief, and then at Buffy who shook her head before telling Kennedy to take the Potentials out for a movie.

"This is unfair," said Kennedy as she turned to the Colonel.

"This is what life is like," said Colonel Sheppard as Kennedy turned to Rose, who shrugged her shoulders, and then at Willow who said that there was a reason that the Potentials didn't need to be here, that what they needed to know was already given out to them. Huffing, Kennedy then walked out of the house, slamming the door shut while Molly and Annabelle followed her out the door, apologizing for her behaviour.

"Captain Weiss and I will be coming after you ladies," said Major Klein, "just meet us outside."

It was only after the SUV, driven by Major Klein, left that Colonel Sheppard told everyone in the room that what they were about to hear was classified, and that there would be hell to pay if they revealed anything that the Colonel was about to say.

"The tech you've seen today," said Colonel Sheppard, "it's not from DARPA, everything was gathered from my organization's off-world activities."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Xander who was trying to hide his excitement while the others looked at Buffy, Willow, and Tara while asking if what the Colonel was saying happened to be true, "you.. you off-world as in…."

"Aliens," said Willow as everyone looked at her.

"Oh yeah," replied Tara with a grin.

"This is a joke… right?" asked Lorne.

"Can.. can you sing, Colonel?" asked Giles. The Colonel looked at the Watcher confused at the request, and it was when Wesley said that Lorne can read minds, or even look into the future when a person was singing.

"Well," said the Colonel, "my mind's full of classified stuff and… and… well…"

"Will any song do?" asked Teyla as she looked at Lorne curiously.

"Yep," came the reply.

Teyla then looked at the Colonel, who nodded his head, before opening her mouth to sing. The woman's beautiful voice carried through the air as Lorne immediately got up. Teyla stopped singing, and looked with concern at Lorne who was stumbling back while staring at Teyla with his eyes wide open in fear.

"You.. you…" stuttered Lorne as he pointed a finger at Teyla, "I.. I saw… your people.. your people… creatures taking them and… and feeding…. And…"

"You are speaking of the Wraith," said Teyla as Wesley helped the green skinned, horned demon to his feet. It was then that there was a humming sound from behind, and Teyla smiled when she looked back and heard Ronan humming a tune while rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"You lost your people," said Lorne as he grabbed the side of his head and stared at Ronon, "oh God, I am so sorry."

"I don't get it," said Xander as he looked at Ronon, "how can you loose your people, you're lost.. or…"

"They all died," said Ronon as he turned to the surprised Xander, "the Wraith knew we were technologically advanced, and so they had to get rid of us since we were a threat."

"I am Athosian," said Teyla as Spike opened his eyes wide in surprise, "and Ronan is Satedan, e isn't the last, but there are very few left in Pegasus."

"Pegasus?" asked Dawn who was looking on excitedly.

"That's where I'm stationed," said Colonel Sheppard, "Teyla, Rose, and Ronon are natives of the Pegasus galaxy, about three million light years away from the Milky Way."

The Colonel t hen told Giles and the others about the Ancients, the Stargate, the Asgard, and various other information including telling Giles that he'll be getting some information about the outpost that was found right in the Sunnydale desert. Giles looked on, still in surprise, as the Colonel told them about the city that the Ancients took to Pegasus, and that those same Ancients returned to Earth ten thousand years ago after losing a war.

"A war that we're involved in now," said the Colonel.

"Against these Wraith?" asked Lorne as he looked at Teyla and Ronon, who nodded their head; the demon had seen the Wraith culling their Homeworlds, leaving destruction and bodies in their wake.

The Colonel told them about the allies and other enemies they had made in Pegasus, before ending his briefing by tell them that the same ship that the Ancients had used to leave the Milky Way was found under the ocean.

"What are you saying?" asked Dawn as she perked up, "John?"

"We're stationed on Atlantis," said the Colonel.

TBC.

 


	51. Chapter 51

**The Summers Residence, 1620 hours.**

"Hold on," said Giles as he got up while the others all perked up and looked at each other, mumbling among themselves in regards to what they had just heard from Colonel Sheppard, "Colonel.. John, you are saying that Atlantis is real? That the mythical city, of Atlantis, is a city made by aliens?"

"Technically, the Ancestors were human," said Teyla.

"Ancestors?" asked Wesley.

"That is what my people call the Ancients, or as they came to be know later, the Lanteans," replied Teyla as Giles fixed his glasses while Wesley looked back at the older Watcher, asking him if any of this was possible. It was then that Colonel Sheppard told Wesley and the others that the first time arriving on Atlantis, the expedition found themselves under water.

"They sank their city into the ocean when they found they were losing the war," said the Colonel, "and then they returned to Earth. We believe that the surviving Ancients spread the story of Atlantis when they came back."

"The story of an advanced city that went down into the ocean," whispered Lorne, "but instead of it happening here, it happened on another world… in another galaxy."

"Yep," nodded Colonel Sheppard, "I know this is something big for you guys, so we'll just stop here. Everything you need to know, we've already told you."

"We just don't tell the Potentials when they come back," said Tara.

"Yep," replied the Colonel nodding his head at his sister, before turning to glance at Buffy and the others, "and in the meantime, we stay armed until we get a new place. Teyla, and I will handle the staff weapons, while Buffy, Faith, Xander, Giles, and Wesley will handle the Zat weapons. Tara and Willow, can you place a… is there a magical shield or something, that you can place around the house just to be on the safe side?"

"They are some spells," replied Willow, "but we need ingredients."

"I know a few powerful ones," said Lorne, "including a spell that would prevent any demon from coming into the house from fighting. I mean, it would work for both demons and human… used it in my club in Los Angeles. So….?"

"Can you limit it to only demons?" asked the Colonel, "no sense in protecting ourselves if we can't actually protect ourselves."

"Yeah," replied Lorne nodding his head, "I can whip up something… I can get us some drinks too."

"Get whatever ingredients you need," said the Colonel as he nodded his head before looking at Tara who was about to walk away with Willow.

"Be careful," whispered the Colonel as he held onto Tara's hand. The blonde witch smiled at her brother, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. Tara then told him that she was going to be with Willow and Lorne, and she then leaned to the side and looked over his shoulder at the young woman who was looking at pictures on the wall.

"And I'll take Rose with me," said Tara before she smiled at Willow who narrowed her eyes at the blonde. The both of them then looked at the surprised Rose, who was blushing when she saw Willow looking back at her. Looking away at the floor, the young woman nodded her head and agreed while saying that there could still be dangers present on the way to the Magic Box.

"Perhaps you can get some of the ice-cream we have heard much about, Rose," said Teyla as Buffy and Faith looked at her, and then at Rose, and then back at Teyla.

"Wait, you never had ice-cream?" asked Faith.

"We have not," replied Teyla.

"Oh… that is not good," said Willow shaking her head before motioning towards the door, "we'll get the ingredients, something for Lorne, and then some ice-cream."

"See you soon, Jo…."

"Hold up, hold up," said Spike as he raised his hand while Colonel Sheppard glared at the man who attacked Buffy, "I know what I am, but what is she?"

Everyone saw Spike pointing a finger at Rose while saying that her scent was off, and that it wasn't because she was from Pegasus. It was then that Buffy, Willow, and Tara looked at each other… they remembered what the Colonel had told them about Rose; that she was supposed to be one of thousands of living weapons proposed by the Lantean known as Athena. But the three of them didn't want to see her as a weapon, Buffy knew what it was like to be seen as a weapon by the Watchers council and she didn't want Rose to feel that same way.

But before she, or Willow and Tara could say anything; Rose looked to the Colonel who nodded his head.

"I am a living weapon created using the research of the Lantean known as Athena Ren," said Rose as she stepped forward and stared at Spike while tilting her head. Something that made Faith head for Buffy and ask her if she knew what Rose was talking about, it was the same question that Giles and the others were asking Colonel Sheppard.

"What does she mean by being a created living weapon?" asked Giles.

"Rose?" whispered Colonel Sheppard at the young woman, "you can tell them the truth, but the cover story is for the Potentials Slayers when they ask you questions."

"I understand, Colonel," replied Rose nodding her head at the Colonel, before staring at Spike. She was already imagining the different ways to defeat him in the event that he was a danger to her, her team, Willow, or the others in the house.

"I was created to fight the Wraith," she replied while tilting her head at Spike, looking him up and down before she glanced over at the others, and then at Spike once again, this time with a smile developing on her face, "I can sense the Wraith when they are close by, I have genetic memory of all armed and unarmed combat, and my body has been enhanced in every way just to battle the Wraith."

"Now you know," hissed Buffy as she pointed her finger at Spike, "now we won't bring that up again."

"I'd love to test her though," mumbled Spike as he looked past Buffy, and at Rose while looking her up and down. He then noticed Buffy taking one step towards him, and it was then that he raised his hands up into the air and meant that he wanted to test her fighting style, "we're going up against some string opposition, pet, and…"

"I am not your pet," said Buffy before looking away and then heading into the kitchen. Spike watched her walk away, a part of himself feeling ashamed for pushing things, before looking at the Colonel who was glaring at him.

"Tara, take Rose and Teyla with you, Willow, Lorne, and Wesley," said Colonel Sheppard, "get what you need… and some ice-cream too, and get back here."

"We'll be careful," said Tara before she and the other left the house. Spike, to avoid the Colonel and the others, huffed before curtly saying that he was going to be waiting until dark to go out to the Bronze for some proper musical enjoyment.

"And here I believed you would have liked to spar," smirked Rose as she lingered her eyes on Spike while walking past him, "I have only read the reports on the combat capabilities of vampires, are you as difficult to battle as the Wraith?"

"Don't push your luck, pet," said Spike, his face serious.

Rose just smiled at him before leaving the home, followed by Teyla. The door then closed behind them while Spike huffed, and then walked off down the hallway. He past Buffy who was glaring at him while leaning on the island in the kitchen. Spike stopped walking, and was about to say something but decided against it. He then opened the door to the backyard, put hit leather coat over his head and ran out of the house.

But not before saying that he was coming back to show rose a thing or two.

"Yeah, sure," whispered Buffy as she looked down at the island when she had a flashback to that night. She remembered being in the restroom when Spike attacked her. Buffy remembered being helpless, something she absolutely hated being, and struggling on the floor when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Finding herself back in the kitchen, Buffy gasped and jerked away from the hand on her shoulder. She then turned and went into a stance where she found Xander with his hands up, and Faith standing next to him.

"B?" asked Faith who had her eyebrows narrowed in worry. It was something that Buffy never expected from Faith, the Slayer who nearly stole her life, and tried to kill her.

'You tried to kill her too, Buffy,' the blonde Slayer told herself before looking at Xander who also asked her if she was all right, as did Dawn who had just entered the kitchen, 'but then again, this is already a very strange time.'

It was then that she realized that only Xander was aware of what happened that day.. he had seen the aftermath. Faith, Dawn, the others didn't know… except for Colonel Sheppard.

And she wanted to keep it that way, "yea, I'm good. Just tired from the flight, you know."

"Captain Peroxide gone?" asked Faith.

"Out the back," replied Buffy, "said he was coming back later."

"G-man and Wes are talking to John and that Ronon guy," said Xander while Faith looked over her shoulder towards the direction of the living room. They heard Ronon speaking, and Faith turned back to look at Buffy while biting her lower lip.

"I don't mind having him teach me how to shoot," Faith waggled her eyebrows as Dawn and Xander rolled their eye, and Buffy shook her head.

"Hey," said Buffy, "anything else you can tell me about the uber-vamp?"

"It's tough, B," said Faith leaning on the Island, "it's really tough to fight. They used the fancy electrical whammy-gun thing.."

"The Zat," Dawn reminded Faith.

"Right, the Zat gun," Faith corrected herself before continuing to say that that the weapon had to be fired many times before the Turok-han fell on the ground, "a team went back in the morning, I mean it was dark in there since sunlight could reach way down the hole. But… the body was gone."

"It's still walking around," said Buffy while Faith nodded her head. She then sighed before saying that they should have better luck with the plasma weapons before lowering her voice and whispering, "but we still need the Slayers to train how to fight, we have to assume that these guys won't always be here to help us."

"You think John would just leave after this is done?" asked Dawn.

"No, Tara's here so he won't be gone for long anyway," said Buffy who was hoping she was right, "but the military may not want us to keep these weapons. We need to be prepared for anything. I mean… they're finding a better place to hold all of us and… and I don't see us having that place once the military says they're done…. I mean at least after we beat the First."

"You think we can beat the First, Buff?" asked Xander.

"We have to, Xand," said Buffy with a small smile.

"So," whispered Faith, "have you seen any of their toys? DO they have space ships and…"

"Tara said she was on board a ship," whispered Buffy while Xander silently mouthed 'that's so cool' so that Colonel Sheppard couldn't hear, while Faith and Dawn looked on impressed, "but we haven't seen much of these weapons."

"I can't wait to handle a gun, and…"

"No," said Xander and Buffy together while Faith smirked at the frowning Dawn.

"Your already good with a sword, Dawn," explained Buffy, "I want you to continue that. Me, Faith, Xander will train with these guys on using these weapons. I just hope I don't suck at it."

"OK, enough with the weapons, what about Rose?" asked Dawn.

"What about Rose?" asked Buffy as she looked at her sister.

"I mean she's a weapon, Buffy," Dawn whispered waving her hands about, "I mean…"

"Faith and I are weapons too," said Buffy, to which Faith silently agreed before adding that it was what the Council used to see them as. Buffy then continued by saying that she didn't want Rose to feel any differently, "she'll be training the Potentials with Teyla and Ronan. Showing them some moves here and there. Faith and I can train them in bladed weapons."

"Just tell me what you want me to show them, B," said Faith.

"We can start all this tomorrow morning," said Buffy as she stood up straight, "for now, we take a break. And hope we don't get attacked."

"We're prepared if we do," smirked Faith, "plasma weapons."

"Don't jinx it," said Xander as Dawn chuckled, while Faith shrugged her shoulders saying that it would be a chance to see the new weapons in action.

"Rest up, guys," said Buffy, "I have a feeling we'll need it.. especially with the Potentials heading our way, and the training that's coming up for us."

TBC.

 


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be taking a break for about two months, at the most. There's some real life stuff that I need to take care off that's been weighing me down while writing these stories, and I'd like to get them out of the way ( I thought I could do those, and write these stories at the same time; but my other personal stuff has been suffering). The first being writing another draft of a research proposal for admission to a few PhD programs, and the second being learning SAP and Data Management techniques in a course at the local university. I hope you guys understand the need for this break, and I will get back to uploading the newest chapters at the end of the two months.

**The Summers Residence, 1630 hours.**

Lorne was in the passenger side of the SUV while honking the horn for Wesley, who was still inside the house. The man was finishing his chat with Ronon and Colonel Mitchell when he heard the umpteenth honk, and then rushed out of the house. With a sigh from Lorne who sat back in his seat, the green skinned demon looked at the reflections, in the rear view mirror, of Tara and Willow sitting together while Teyla and Rose were in the row of seats behind them. The two of them were looking out the tinted windows at the people on the driveways on either side of the Summers house; they were all placing their belongings in vehicles as if they were heading for a vacation.

That was what Teyla was thinking, that they were leaving for a vacation, as she looked out the left window, and then looked out the right side window that Rose was looking through at two more families packing items into a car.

"People are leaving?" asked Teyla as Rose looked at her, the two women looking at each other before looking out the window again.

"It's the Hellmouth," said Willow who turned her body back, and placed her arm on the back of the seat and looked at both Teyla and Rose, and then out the same window. While the driver side door opened and Wesley climbed into the SUV, apologizing for being late since he was having a fantastic conversation with the Colonel, Tara told the two women from Pegasus that people could feel the energy coming off from the Hellmouth.

"And people want to leave," whispered Tara.

"But there's enough students to still keep the school open," said Willow, "Buffy's a counsellor there and.. well, a lot of people aren't feeling it yet. Some… like these guys who're packing now? They feel it, but the others not yet. It's going to take time."

"And eventually the city will be empty," said Rose as she looked at another couple, before turning her head to look at Willow. Rose immediately looked away onto the floor, and then out the window once again. It was something that Tara and Willow noticed, and the redhead couldn't help but frown. She understood that, according to Rose, she may look like the Lantean known as Athena… but the fact was that she wasn't her. And Willow wanted to drive home that fact as gently as possible to Rose so that she wouldn't act this strangely around her.

"Rose," said Willow as the young woman looked up at her while Wesley reversed the SUV onto the street, "I know you think that I'm Athena."

Rose just looked at the redhead, and then nodded. She knew deep in her very self that the young woman looking back at her was her creator. But rose didn't want to bring it up again, but she could help but feel as if she needed to be recognized by her creator. It was for that reason that rose found herself wanting t be close to Willow, but at the same time she feeling down while imagining Willow not accepting her as her creation.

'That is because she is not Athena, Rose,' she thought to herself while looking at Willow.

"She thinks you're Athena?" asked Lorne as he turned back in his seat and leaned to the side so that he could raise his eyebrows at Rose, and then at Willow. While Wesley was about to say something when he glanced at Willow and Rose in the rear-view mirror, the redhead spoke first. She turned her head towards Lorne, and then asked him if he could specifically see into her past when she sang.

"I mean I won't sing, just hum," said Willow, "I suck at singing."

"You don't, sweetie," smiled Tara while Willow grinned at her. She then turned to Lorne, who nodded his head, before the redhead started to hum a tune. Lorne listened as images appeared in his mind of Willow's childhood; he saw how upset she was when her parents would go off for a conference or to teach and she was alone which the nanny; he saw how happy she was when Ira and Sheila returned from their engagements, and her father hugged her. Lorne saw her childhood, including a ball of light that would pass her by occasionally, he saw the time when she told Sheila Rosenberg about the light.. and the older redhead just insisted it was her imagination. The more Willow hummed, the more of her past he saw. It went all the way until the time she was a baby in her mother's arm in a hospital, and two women came into the room carrying balloons that said 'Get well Soon'. The two women apologized for being in the wrong room, but when they saw the baby Willow, they asked if they could hold her.

Lorne saw the younger of the two, a dark haired, green-eyed young woman carry the baby and lean forward. He saw her land a kiss on her forehead before whispering something. Narrowing his eyes at that image, Lorne concentrated while the older Willow continued to hum. He tried to hear what was being whispered, but he couldn't hear it. He then saw the older woman carrying her, and the way that the older dark-haired woman looked at the baby… it was like a mother seeing her child for the first time.

"She is a very beautiful child," Lorne heard the older woman say before handing the baby back to Sheila. They watched the young red haired woman, her husband by her side, fuss over the yawning baby. Lorne heard the two women apologize again before leaving. And then there was just blankness. Lorne knew he had gone as far as he could, and he said as much to Willow and Rose.

"It's like a tape reaching its end… or beginning before starting to record on it," said Lorne while he looked at Willow. He remembered the look that the older woman had given the baby Willow, and he shook his head. He pushed it away, telling himself that he'll get back to that later on.

Right now they had a bigger threat to deal with. Instead, all he told Willow was that he had looked at her past, and there was nothing to suggest that she was this Athena person.

"Sorry, Rose," said Willow as she gave a small smile, "I just look like her. I mean, you guys said that she returned to Earth."

"And that the Ancients bred with the local population… so…" said Tara, "Willow's just her descendent."

"Perhaps you are correct," whispered Rose who had a faraway look on her face while she was staring at the back of the seat where both Tara and Willow were sitting on. She then looked up, and smiled at Willow before apologizing for how fooling that she must have looked.

"No, don't be," said Willow as she paced her arm on the back of the seat, and then rest her chin on her arm while Wesley drove, "so, can you tell us about Atlantis?"

"Teyla?" asked Tara.

Teyla and Rose nodded their heads before saying that they couldn't reveal any classified materials about the city. Willow and the others nodded their heads, and then listened intently as the two Pegasus residents talked about the Ancient city.

**The Summers Household, 1630 hours.**

Once the SUV had left the driveway, Giles, Colonel Sheppard, and Ronon where left alone in the living room with the other Scoobies in the kitchen. The Colonel then asked Ronon to take a break and get some rest, that it was possible that demons won't be attacking the house in the day.

"I would say that would be a fact," said Giles as he looked at the weapon on Ronon's hip, and then up at the tall, dark haired, man, "we are relatively safe, at least for now."

"Then it's settled," replied the Colonel, "take a break. Hopefully we'll hear something from Homeworld later tonight on a safer place that we could move to."

"I'll call the coven in Devon," said Giles while his arms were crossed over his chest, "and inform them that any Potentials heading towards Sunnydale should head for this home, until we say otherwise."

"Yeah." The Colonel nodded his head before Ronon asked dryly if he needed to know what Giles met by a 'coven', and how this coven was going to inform the Potential Slayers.

"Nah," answered Colonel Sheppard with a smirk on his face while he shrugged his shoulders. The man was referring to the use of the Coven's magic to contact the Potentials and any Watchers who were still alive, "even I'm not sure how it works."

"There is one thing we should talk about," said Ronon who crossed his arms over his chest, and turned to the Colonel, "the one with the red hair, and your sister. I take it that the Slayers, and these Potential Slayers already have some form of self-defence… am I right?"

"Today was the first lesson for the three with us," added Giles, "but they already had some training with their Watchers before they were killed, and the Potentials escaped. I cannot be sure of anyone else who joins us."

"Then in the here and now," said Ronon as he looked at the Colonel, and then at Giles, and bac to the Colonel again, "Sheppard, you should teach them some basic self-defence, at least. I know you said that they can use magic and… well, I can't really comment on that. And… wait a second…"

The Colonel and Giles saw the alien look around confused before asking if they had seen Mackay anywhere.

"He's gone upstairs," said the Colonel as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the stairs, "he's creating a secure comm-line with the SGC from inside the house, and upgrading the security sensors that's connected to the security system."

"Good, good," said Giles as the three of them walked out of the living room, and into the hallway that led to the kitchen. When Buffy and Faith saw the three of them heading into the kitchen, they pushed themselves off the island while Xander and Dawn turned and nodded at the three of them. Faith could see that Ronon was smirking at her before looking away and telling them all that the Colonel had recommended they take a break.

"But I'd like to go up against you," smirked Faith as she raised an eyeborow towards Ronon.

"Faith," said Buffy as she gently slapped the dark haired Slayer's arm, while Dawn and Xander rolled their eyes. Faith shrugged her shoulders before saying that she didn't feel like taking a break, just yet. That her body was primed from her defeat at the hands of the Turok-Han, and that she needed a release.

"That just sounds bad," said Dawn while shaking her head.

"Look, the Potentials are still learning," said Faith, "B's tired as hell, so its not going to be fun beating her again and…"

"Hey," frowned Buffy as she nudged Faith's arm with her elbow, "just so you know, you still haven't beat me… and I'm not tired."

"Children," said Giles as he looked at Buffy and Faith while Dawn and Xander looked from Faith, to Ronon, and then to Faith again, "I would like for you to spar when we have the Potentials with us. They would get to see how two Slayers fight. And then, perhaps Ronon and Faith could spar… or Ronon and Buffy."

"Oh, I'd like him," smirked Faith as she rubbed her fist while looking at Ronan, who looked at her, and then at the Colonel.

"You wanted to spar with her," was the reply from the Colonel while he put his hands up.

"Oh, I will," replied Ronon before looking back at Faith, "I would like to experience what a Slayer can do."

"You're on, big guy" smiled Faith.

TBC.

 


	53. Chapter 53

**Sunnydale, CA.**

Tara was chuckling at the look on both Rose and Teyla's faces as they stared at the crowded supermarket that was located close to the mall. She, Willow, and Lorne.. who was under a glamour spell thanks to the redhead, which was something that impressed both Rose and Teyla, had already been to the mall. It was there that Willow, Tara, Lorne, and Wesley had taken Rose and Teyla for lunch.

It was also the first time that Teyla and Rose had eaten Peppermint and Chocolate chip ice-cream, with the both of them having two waffle bowls of the treat filled with three scoops. Tara smiled at the childlike antics of Rose as she licked her spoon while speaking excitedly with Teyla. It was then, while walking by the various stores, some of which Rose had been asking Willow questions about, that Tara realized that Rose was really just a child. She was physically in her mid-twenties, but Tara knew that her mentality could be near that of a child.

'A child whose learning fast,' thought Tara to herself while she was talking to Wesley and Lorne, at the same time glancing at Rose occasionally, 'learning all she has now… no, maybe she doesn't have the mind of a child. She's still got this childish curiosity and excitement. It beats the feeling that's coming off Teyla.. no, Rose is more… I can't put my finger on it; there's something more. Maybe it because she's only a few months old.. technically. But then again, Dr. Mackay will have some things to say about that, I guess.'

"What is this place?" asked Rose as she looked up at the sign that said Victoria Secret. Her spoon hanging off the side of her mouth and her waffle cup in hand, she then turned towards the men whose faces had turned red before they mumbled an excuse about having to go somewhere else. The ladies couldn't make out where they were going since they were all speaking at the same time nervously.

"Perhaps another time," said Teyla as she placed a hand on Rose while Willow and Tara chuckled, "we do have to get the items for the spell, and we also need to get more food items."

"My dears," said Lorne as he placed an arm around Rose and Teyla's shoulders before walking off with them, and with Wesley following them as he shook his head behind them, "I'll introduce you to the great drink that is a Sea-breeze."

"We always feel the breeze of the sea on Lantea," whispered Rose as Lorne chuckled before telling the young woman, and then Teyla, the definition of a Seabreeze. While Lorne was having his conversation with Rose and Teyla, with Wesley occasionally jumping in, Tara and Willow were walking arm in arm as they passed one store after another. They were on the way to the exit as Tara slowed down until they were just about out of earshot from Wesley and the others.

"Tara?" asked a confused Willow who noticed that they were sampling strolling slowly, "you ok?"

"I think everything's hitting me at once," whispered Tara as she leaned into Willow, who looked back at her with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "I mean John's here, so's his team, and we have all of those especial gifts at home and… and I can't help but really think that this could really be it. That we're really going to face the end of the world and…"

"Buffy, me, Xander, and Giles have faced a lot of armageddons before.. oh, and Angel and Cordelia were there too," said Willow, whose face saddened a bit at the mention of their dead friends. But she shook her head to clear her mind, before talking once more about being able to beat back every single Armageddon.

"I know," whispered Tara as they continued to stroll along. It was a few minutes later that they exited the mall and stepped out into the open air, "but this still feels… feels as if something's different."

"You said it yourself, Tara," replied Willow as she watched Wesley and the others reach the SUV. Once they had gone in, Tara and Willow entered the SUV which then brought them to their present location; a grocery store.

Tara and Willow chuckled as Lorne took Teyla to get the ingredients for a Sea breeze while Rose stayed and stare din wonder at the various aisles and rows upon rows of food. Wesley then excused himself saying that he needed to get some drinks for the adults and the Potential Slayers, while Tara nudged Willow and nodded at the amazed looking Rose.

"Take her with you," whispered Tara.

Willow nodded her head before placing her hand on Rose's shoulder. The both of them looked at each other before Willow asked Rose if she wanted to accompany her, "we'll check on more ice-cream flavours."

Rose nodded her head before the both of them vanished in the frozen food aisles while Tara chuckled and went to get the rest of the groceries. Tara spent time alone gathering what she needed to get while thinking about her time with John, and the fact that it seemed it would be ending soon. However, Tara could tell if that was a bad or good; she didn't know if their time ending soon meant that they would lose this war against the First and die, or that they would win and Colonel Sheppard would have to return to Atlantis.

She didn't like either one, but she then immediately mentally kicked up before thinking that as long as her brother was alive… she would be happy. Walking while playing items in her cart, Tara eventually met up with Rose and Willow, and then with Wesley, Lorne, and Teyla. The people from Earth chuckled at how excited Rose was about the food in the cart, telling them that Willow had recommended the strawberry ice-cream… while Teyla was looking forward to having the Se-breeze when she got back to the Summers house.

Once they had paid for all the goods, the group carried the bags to the SUV which then made its way to the Magic Box. It was here that Willow and Tara got out, telling Wesley to drive the others back to the Summers home.

"It's still daylight out," said Willow, "so Tara and I are gonna be safe walking back home."

"Willow," said Wesley, "we can wait for a little while and…"

"We need to find the ingredients for the spell, Wes, it'll take more than five minutes," Willow reminded him before joking, "Look, if we haven't contacted Buffy in twenty minutes, send the cavalry."

"I will stay," replied Teyla as he got out of the SUV before looking back at Rose, "accompany them home, Rose."

"I will," came the reply as she nodded her head.

Wesley then sighed before driving off towards home. It would be twenty minutes later that Willow and Tara closed the Magic Box, after calling Buffy to inform her that they were on the way home, with Teyla waiting on the both of them as she scanned the people who were walking by. Once everything was shut, they started on the walk home with Willow and Tara telling Teyla about their adventures, and how they felt about fighting the paranormal on Earth. It would be nearly be forty-five minutes later that Tara and the others walked up the walkway to the front porch where Colonel Sheppard was sitting on the stairs.

Getting up once he saw his sister, the Colonel walked down the stairs before asking if they got all the ingredients needed to put up a shield. Willow and Tara then looked at each other before telling the Colonel that they did not, all they had was ingredients to create a barrier that would act as an early warning system.

"If one of those creatures comes close to the home," explained Teyla who was surprised to learn, back at the store, that they were missing one or two ingredients for the shield. Instead, the two witches assured Teyla that the early warning system would work, "Willow and Tara have assured me that we will not miss it. It would give us time to prepare for a defence."

The Colonel nodded his head before Teyla walked past him, and as he did, she patted his shoulder before rushing up the stairs. The Colonel then turned to look at Tara and Willow, and asked them to start on the spell.

"General O'Neill just called," said the Colonel, "we may have a new place by tomorrow afternoon. Do you have enough for two early warning spells?"

"I.. I think we should," said Tara while Willow nodded her head.

"Good," said the Colonel as he stepped forward and placed his hands on their shoulders, "I trust you guys to look after yourselves. The both of you, Buffy, Xander, and the others… but this is a very dangerous time. There's a reason that I had Rose and Teyla go with you four."

"For protection," replied Tara as she sensed the Colonel's worry for the both of them.

"The reason I wasn't worried this time was because Teyla was with the both of you," said the Colonel, "she's not as strong as Buffy, but she's can just as easily take care of herself against the Wraith. Hell, she saved my life a few times, and I trust her with my life. And.. well don't want to sound like the over-protective brother, but I'd like for you guys to stay as a group when you go out, and when you come back."

"We'll go out as a group, and then come back as a group the next time," smiled Tara while she noticed that the Colonel's aura indicated he was still worried even though his face didn't show it. Willow and Tara assured him that with Teyla, hey were still safe… and would have still been kept safe witH Rose. The Colonel nodded his head before saying that early the next morning, he was going to train both Willow and Tara in basic self-defence. Tara and Willow couldn't help but smile as they nodded they heads in agreement before the Colonel asked them to go on with their work.

"But, before you do," said the Colonel, "I want Teyla with you. Alright?"

"Yeah,' replied both Willow and Tara together before the three of them walked up the stairs, and into the home. It would be an hours later that Teyla would watch in amazement, along with the Colonel, and the Pegasus and Atlantis residents, as Tara and Willow poured a pink hued power around the house. And then, when they havd finished pouring the powerder, a yellow shield like field raised into the air and vanished.

"And that;s magic," said Willow as Tara gave a small bow. It would be hours later, with everyone inside the Summers home that about twenty one figures in red robes would be gathered meters away from the house. Their first target was the van that was watching the house and its surroundings with thermal imaging camera's; camera's that were useless after the figures used a spell to hide their heat-signatures and their movements. Ten of them approached the van from the rear, and then two of them knocked on the door. Once the door opened, the figures grabbed the surprised Airmen, as well as the driver and his passenger, and stabbed them to death. Everything was over in seconds as the figures then closed the doors to the van, and then crept towards the house. The figures, wearing red cloaks and hoods, with runic symbols etched over their eyes, simply looked at the house as they surrounded it. They could feel the magic around the house as a blonde woman that resembled Buffy appeared next to one of the figures, and glared at the entrance.

"Weapons and magic," said the First who had taken Buffy's form, "nothing can save you now. I took away one champion out of the board, and now is the turn of the other one. In the meantime, my Turok-Han will continue to gather in strength before they are released into this world. I will be in the hearts of everyone, Buffy. No one can escape me.. but first. I take the champion away from you. And then… then I have my fun."

The First turned her head to look at one of the figures, one of her Bringers, and then ordered him.. and the others, to bring her Spike. She then took on the form of Drusilla as the clapped her hands while the Bringers marched forward, and then ran towards the house once the alarm had gone off.

"Bring me my prince," cried Dru as she looked at the stars, and then at the house as some of the Bringers were taken down by the security system while others that weren't knocked out, got onto the porch.. or broke through the windows to get into the house, "just don't kill Buffy yet. I want her for me… I want to break Spike, and I will make him eat her. And then… then I win."

TBC

 


	54. Chapter 54

**The Summers residence, 0915 hours; 15 minutes before the attack.**

Spike was in the basement with Lorne, while the others were on the main floor of Buffy's house. Colonel Sheppard was sitting on the stairs in the backyard with Teyla and Ronon were standing on the deck and leaning on the railing as they looked at the stars above. In the meantime, the Potentials, minus Kennedy, were in the living room watching TV with Xander, Dawn, Fred, and Faith; while Buffy, Willow, Giles, Wesley, and Tara were in the kitchen preparing a snack with the groceries they had bought. As for Kennedy and Rose, the both of them were in one of the rooms setting the sleeping bags for the girls who would be sleeping on the floor.

"You know," said Kennedy as she glanced up at Rose who was bending over before crouching down as she opened one of the sleeping bags and spread it out. Kennedy stopped for a few seconds as she admired Rose's back before her eyes travelled up the curves of her body to the young woman's hair and face. To her, it seemed as if Rose was the perfect girl in terms of how she looked, before looking away and spreading her sleeping bag, "I know that Buffy and Willow already made the assignments and that I'm supposed to be in the room with Dawn, Molly, and Faith… but I don't mind you coming into our little group."

"There is no space," said Rose as she glanced at Kennedy over her shoulder, and then went back to what she was doing, "I will be protecting you and the others with Colonel Sheppard and Teyla. Our shift will then be taken over by Ronon, Dr. Mackay, and Buffy."

"John and Teyla seem like they can fight," added Kennedy as she got up to her feet, and then walked to Rose. She then crouched next to her and nudged her arm with her elbow, "talk to them. I mean, you do need a rest.. you know. You've been eating and working the whole day with getting the security system and the defences. How about you take a break, and sleep in the fun room… as for space? You could share the bed with me."

"I…." said Rose as she furrowed her eyebrows and then tilted her head, "I should be with Colonel Sheppard and Teyla."

"You know," replied Kennedy as she got on her knees, and then shimmied around to Rose's front until they were staring at each other, with the Potential Slayer giving off a smirk as she looked over the clone's body, and then focused her eyes on the Zat that was on her hip. Kennedy then looked up at Rose's face, and said, "we should go get some drinks. Just you and me… get you to relax a bit, and…"

"Drink?" asked Rose.

"You know," added Kennedy as she waved her hands, "alcohol? A sea-breeze… a bit better maybe… you know…. Like what you had after dinner with Lorne?"

"Oh," said Rose nodding her head.

"You didn't like it?" asked Kennedy as she leaned her body sideways, mirroring Rose as she stretched out the fabric on the sleeping bag.

"I did," replied Rose with a small smile before she stood up, as did Kenney, "but it is not for me."

"We can find something better," Kennedy said with a smile on her lips.

"Perhaps," replied Rose. The both of them then went on to the next room to prepare the sleeping bags, while back in the back yard, Colonel Sheppard looked over his shoulder at Tara who walked out through the door with Buffy and Willow by her side. They told the Major that they needed to talk to him about something, that it was a dream that Buffy had while they were still in San Francisco.

"What dream?" asked the Colonel as he got up to his feet while Teyla and Ronon looked at each other. Teyla then turned to Buffy and asked her if what she had just said the word 'dream'.

Nodding her head, Buffy answered the surprised Athosian, "yep, I sometimes have prophetic dreams. I mean with the whole stuff that's been going on, I kinda forgot about it. Giles was saying something about the High School, and then I remembered the weird symbol."

"What kind of symbol?" asked Ronon.

"Fred's drawing the symbol from Buffy's description," said Tara nodding her head towards the kitchen as the Colonel got to his feet, "come on in."

"Yea lets…"

The Colonel took one step onto the deck and stopped. He was getting a similar feeling like the one that he received prior to the shooting the day he first met Tara. It was the same feeling he got the day Anya was shot and killed. He turned and looked out into the darkness outside the dimly lit area of the Summers backyard, and furrowed his eyebrows together.

"John?" asked Tara, concern in her voice when she sensed worry coming off him.

"Drawings later," said the Colonel as he rushed to the side of the porch and picked up one of the two staff weapons. Throwing one over to the surprised Teyla, he then turned as Ronon took out his plasma weapon and told him to set it to kill. It was just then that the 'alarm' had gone off, and there were the electronic sounds of the Zat-based security system firing at intruders from the front of the house. The four of them ran into the house just as the Potentials in the living room screamed when the glass windows shattered and figures in black robes, with runes etched on their closed eyelids, crashed into the house.

Everyone swung into action as Ronon rushed into the living room and aimed his blaster. He pulled Annabelle, who was screaming, away from the creatures before swiftly shooting its chest. Next to him, Teyla leaned back when one of the creatures swung a knife at her before she swung the staff weapon in her hand across the head of the creature, she then kicked out at it, before spinning the staff weapon across the creature's head.. slamming it into him, and then turning to slam the butt end of it into another creature. She spun it once more in her hands before activating it and shooting the creature in the chest. She then turned to the first one that attacked her and fired another plasma bolt. There were more electronic sounds as well from the living room as Wesley, Fred, and Xander fired Zats.

With a massive commotion in the kitchen, which Ronon had rushed off to while pulling Annabelle, who in turn was pulling Molly, out of the living room. He then opened the door to the basement while shooting the creatures that crashed into the house from the rear door and kitchen windows. The two girls yelped just as Lorne and Spike opened the basement door. Ronon pushed the girls into Lorne's hands while Spike 'vamped out', and then attacked the creatures in the kitchen. He leapt over the island in front of the basement door while Lorne and the girls went down the stairs after Ronon closed the basement door, which opened outwards. He fired a plasma burst at the door knob so that it could not be opened from the outside. He then heard a growl, and turned as Spike was fighting with two creatures at once, and three more were preparing to pounce at him and the vampires.

"This is going to be fun," said Ronon before he shot at the creatures who were leaping at him. He killed one while the other two knocked the weapon out of his hands and onto the floor. Ronon smiled after he was punched, and then nearly stabbed, before launching his counter-attack. While Zat sounds, plasma weapon fire, and grunts from the Slayers fighting hand to hand were occurring all over the house… which by now looked more like a mini-warzone, Xander was knocked down by two of the creatures. This action led to one of them being flung out of the house by Willow waving her arms. While Tara was healing the young man. The creature that was flung out was then hit by a zat beam from the security system once it entered the weapon's effective range. Fred was then knocked down with Tara magically throwing the creature into a wall, and then Willow grabbed a chair and smashed it onto the creature. In the meantime, Buffy and Faith were fighting three of the creatures all at once, each.

"No!" yelled Tara as she and Xander noticed movement from the front door. All of them were distracted with their fights to do anything about the three more creatures that entered through the front door. Hearing the shout, both Buffy and Faith looked over their shoulders to see the creatures run up the stairs. But that distraction caused them both to be cut just as some of the creatures attacking Buffy and Faith were zatted by Wesley and Giles, who were nursing some injuries as well.

Even Spike had gotten some bodies under his belt.

It was a few seconds later that the creatures that had gone up the stairs, were thrown back down straight onto the foyer floor, one after another. Buffy was facing off with one more, while Faith blocked one of the creatures that were attacking her in the dining room just as Willow fired a blue magical blast that slammed into the creature and then pushed him through the window.

"Red!" shouted Faith as one of the figures tackled Willow from the back, and pushed her to the floor. Tara turned to see her girlfriend attacked and mentally pushed away the figure as the creatures in the foyer got up on their feet, only to be attacked by plasma bursts from Colonel Sheppard. He and his team had already killed the intruders in the dining room while Teyla was heading to the kitchen to finish off the ones there with Spike and Ronon. The Colonel was about to shoot the two remaining creatures who were about to attack him, in the foyer, when Rose ran down the stairs and jumped off the third step with her knee bent forwards. She smashed it into to the side of the creature's head, and then when she landed with one leg on the floor, she swiftly turned and using her enhanced speed, and strength.. she smashed the heel of her foot into the side of the second creature in the foyer.

"Colonel." Rose's voice was serious while she nodded at Wesley and Giles, who were being attacked by three of the figures. The Colonel rushed past her as she picked up one of the creatures with her hand around its throat. She glared at it, and squeezed cracking something in its neck "you are not a Wraith, but just as deadly."

She threw the being out of the front door before she ducked the swinging knife of the second figure she was fighting. From the corner of her eye, she could make out one of the security beams firing on the figure she had thrown out while leaning back to avoid the knife being swung at her again. She looked over the creature's shoulder at Buffy who snapped the neck of the one that was attacking her, and then Rose ducked before rolling forward and slamming the heel of her hands up into the chin of the creature attacking her. While the figure was dazed, Rose saw Buffy grab its head from behind, and Rose pulled her arm back and stepped forward with a punch to its solar plexus.

Rose heard the creature's ribs break before it released a scream and crumbled to the floor. Dead.

"Okay," said Faith as she stepped back from the creature she just killed, "I got five."

Tara looked at Faith, and saw that she had some slight injuries on her arms and face, but she was alive. As was everyone else. Xander told Tara that she was alright, while Teyla rushed to the basement door, and shouted that Lorne and the Potentials were safe to leave.

"Down!" yelled Ronon as everyone stiffened. Teyla ducked just as Ronan fired at two more of the creatures that were running through the door. The tall man watched as the two creatures feel onto the floor dead before helping Teyla up to her feet. He then yelled saying that now everything was safe, and ordered them to stay away from the door.

As a stunned Kennedy walked down the main staircase towards Buffy, Rose, and Faith who were gathered at the Foyer, Ronon kicked the basement door open. Lorne and the two potentials then streamed out while Giles and Wesley were being helped up to their feet with Fred and Willow helping them.

The group looked at the destruction around them, with Buffy rushing to the mantle piece where Dawn was picking up some of the cracked pictures of their mother.

"Dawn!" cried Buffy as she knelt down beside her, and helped to pick up the picture frames.

"I'm okay," she said as Buffy hugged her. The Colonel rushed to Tara and asked if she was okay. Nodding her head, the blonde said that she was, and insisted that he look to the others. Looking her once over to make sure that there were no injuries on her, the Colonel turned to Ronon and asked him to get the medical unit that was in the van outside.

"Shouldn't they have seen these things coming in?" asked Ronon.

"John," said Teyla after she rushed out of the front door to see the van's rear doors open and, under the light in the rear of the van, she pointed at the dead bodies that lay inside.

"I'm contacting Homeworld," said Colonel Mitchell as he looked at the distant van. He then turned to see the Scoobies looking on distraught at the state of their home before turning to Teyla once again. He told her that they were going to stay at the Army base for the night, "hopefully we'll have something by tomorrow."

TBC.

 


	55. Chapter 55

**The Summers Residence, thirty minutes after the attack.**

Lorne, Tara, Fred, Willow, Buffy, and Xander were picking up the broken picture frames from the floor or placing upright some of the furniture that was overturned in the fight. The Potentials were in the dining room, sitting around the dining table with Teyla and Ronon standing around them, and Spike, Giles, Wesley, Colonel Mitchell and Rose guarding either main entrances. The Colonel had already notified General O'Neill at Homeworld Security about the recent attack, and he suggested that the potentials be moved to the Sunnydale Army Base… at least for now.

It was something that the General agreed with.

It wouldn't be long, a little over thirty minutes after the attack, that a convoy of four fully armed Humvees screeched to a stop outside the Summers home. Almost immediately, the soldiers in the Humvees got off the vehicles and stood at all entrances of the house while the Colonel ordered the Potentials, the Scoobies, and his team out to the two SUV's that were parked in the driveway. There was another van that followed behind the Humvees which stopped behind the van which held the dead bodies of the Airmen who had been watching the house.

"Everyone out," said the Colonel as Rose, Ronon, and Teyla ushered the Potentials out of the house. He told everyone to just leave the house, that they would be able to return the next morning for their personal belongings. He looked over at Buffy and Dawn when he said that and noticed the look of anger in Buffy's eyes as she looked around at her house. She mumbled that the First was going to pay for what just happened before she and Dawn walked towards the Colonel. While holding on to Tara's hand, the Colonel walked towards the SUV's after Buffy, Willow, and Dawn closed the door behind them. Once they were on the lawn, Willow and Tara placed a spell around the home that prevented anyone… be the human or demon, from trying to loot their belongings.

Once everyone squeezed into the SUV's, with Rose, Teyla, and Ronon getting onto the Humvees with the cases of weapons along for the ride with them, the convoy took off with the SUV's in the middle of the four Humvees. The journey to the Army base was quiet, with just the breathing of the Potentials and the Scoobies heard throughout the trip. Everyone in the SUV's looked at some of the people who were already in the process of moving out of Sunnydale, and it seemed to be the same throughout the city as some homes were slowly being boarded up.

Soon, they were driving past the sign that said 'Thank you for visiting Sunnydale, Please Come Again'.

As the lights of the convoy disappeared into the distance, the First, in the form of Buffy stood on the road behind the sign and frowned. She was angry that she underestimated the capabilities of the people in the Summers house she was angry that she underestimated the weapons they had with them… especially Rose. The First went through her memories of billions of dead people, and none of them – the memories of the dead the First carried within its essence - knew Rose. However, the First knew it had the memories of those who knew the others; Laura Maclay, Joyce Summers, and several other family members of the humans in the retreating vehicles.

She knew all of them. All Except for Rose, Teyla, and Ronon.

And that information was something that the First did not want to reveal.

As it glared at the vanishing lights, the First remembered appearing in this world after it went through a rift that formed in the skies over its own dark dimension – a twisted version of Earth. A place where evil permeated everything from the land to the water, to the living beings – both humans and animal. The First lived off their hate, their evil, their capability for destruction. When the rift first opened, the First looked up at it upon sensing a dimensional plane that was void of evil. It was something it hadn't thought possible.

A world where there was no evil.

The First looked back down at its own dimension, at its own Earth and viewed the landscape from its dark castle. The robed demon looked around at the darkness that covered its own world, and wanted more, it wanted to spread evil… it wanted to touch those who were untouched by evil, to spread its darkness throughout the land. So the demon, that would later become the First, gave off a roar that was felt by every living thing throughout the world before it flew into the sky, and towards the rift. It's robes fluttering behind it, the demon headed for the rift.. and passed through a ripple in the air. Upon reaching the other side, the First was shocked to see desolation and walls of rock as far as the eye could see. It was then that it realised the reason for there being no evil, there was nothing alive to be evil in the first place. And for a creature that fed on evil to, in turn, spread it, the First was already starving within the first few minutes of appearing this new dimension. Grasping at anything for a chance to survive, the First looked behind it and headed for the rift again. It needed to go home, to its food source.

But it couldn't break the barrier, it was trapped in its new dimension. To the First, it seemed like an eternity, but only two minutes passed as the ten-foot-tall horned, and robed, beast fell onto the ground. It gasped for breath as its insides churned… yearning for its food.. yearning for the evil in its own world. The demon glared at the surrounding rock and knew that it was in a cavern of some sort. Groaning, the demon got on its side and glared at the ring of black stones that surrounded the rift… a clear sheen that looked like glass with the surface rippling. It could sense the differing energies that came through the rift.. energies from billions of dimensions.

But it couldn't feed. It needed to feed in this dimension, but there was nothing for it to feed on.

Without the evil to sustain it, the demon breathed its last and died. However, the being was too powerful to simply die off. Its essence remained- spreading itself throughout the Earth. From the great buildings the demon saw as its essence travelled around the world, it knew that there was once a great civilisation that lived on this Earth. But there was no more life, and the demon didn't know why.

It would be three thousand years later that the First sensed something; a being had come through the rift. The First demon sensed evil, and it was ecstatic. By this time, the First's body had decomposed and turned to dust, but it managed to take on a non-corporeal form and appeared in front of the newly arrived demon. It smiled as the newly arrived demon swiped at it with its claws before attempting to bite it with the rows upon rows of sharp teeth in its mouth. But all the newly arrived demon bit into was air.

"This is my universe," said the First with a sneer, showing off its own sharp teeth, "I am the one before, the first of all. I am the First Evil. And I am never going to die."

After feeding on the evil of the massive demon that came through the rift, the First felt a shudder. It felt more evil coming through the rift; meaning that more demons were coming through. However, there was no way the First could physically do anything, especially when the beings that would eventually become the Powers that Be entered the fray through the rift. While the Powers represented the good half of the eventual war, the First still fed on their nascent evil.

The Powers were after all still living beings, and every living being had evil.

The First led the war between evil and good from the rear, influencing the demonic horde during its war with the Powers. And the Powers lost. The First realised that their evil had vanished from existence after they ascended to become higher beings, but that didn't matter to the First as more demons came through the rift.

From Illyria to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. Every evil that walked, flew, or slithered through the rift and entered Earth; the First fed on their evil and grew stronger. It watched the demons make Earth their personal Hell. It saw demons go to war, and grinned. It absorbed the image and memories of the dead and occasionally became them… manipulating the demonic wars for its own ends. All to unleash evil that would keep it sated.

The First watched and fed for millions of years as, eventually, humans evolved and fought back. With the evil of demons and man feeding the First, it spread its influence throughout the world. It knew that even among the humans who warred against the demons, there was the capacity for great evil. But the balance was still in favour of the demons and the First knew that after millions of years, it had gathered enough evil.. it had spread enough if its own evil to create a physical body to contain its essence.

However, the First got too ambitious and too arrogant. It watched as ships from the sky landed on Earth and humanoid beings started to use both advanced weapons and magic to beat back the demonic horde. The ships were unlike the ones that had arrived on Earth millions of years earlier; the grey beings that the First had appeared to, and then later ordered the demons to kill, were never absorbed into her essence. The First never knew who they were, or what they were doing on Earth. It would be years later that another vessel would come through, flying under the red skies of Earth, and then escaped after being attacked by flying demons.

At that time, the First had no idea that the beings in the ship, or the ones it had killed, were the Asgard. And it had no idea why their memories and images were not absorbed into its being. All the First knew was that there was life on other worlds, and it wanted that life… it wanted to know why it couldn't absorb any evil from the Asgard.

The First was curious.

Now came these new beings from beyond the stars. Beings who died in the war before the First took on their images and memories.

The Furlings. The first alien race that the First had absorbed.

The First was enraged that these creatures started to teach the humans magic… powerful magic that would eventually drive away the demonic hordes to their own dimensions. The First felt the balance shifting towards the light, and it panicked by attempting to create its body. But it was too late. The First had taken too long, and there wasn't enough pure evil left in the world which made the First scream in rage.

The demons that were too powerful to simply be killed, those that would later be referred to as the Old Ones, were entombed in the Deeper Well. It was a prison created by a massive beam of energy that was fired from what the First knew, thanks to the memories of the Furlings it absorbed, as a Kobol class ship. It watched the beam finish digging a hole that went through the planet, and was then fully enchanted with the most advanced magics it had ever seen. The essences of the killed Old Ones were then entombed in the Deeper Well for all time.

And not even the First could do anything about it. The magic prevented anything from appearing in the Deeper Well without permission.

The First had no choice but to watch as the humans defeated the remaining demons who escaped, or were killed. Some stayed hidden, while others bred with the humans to form half-breeds like vampires. The first of whom, the Turok-Han, had been taken under the wing of the First Evil. The First still fed on the evil of the remaining demons, but it wasn't like it was before, and the First was angry. It's anger grew when it watched the red haired geneticist known as Athena create clones for the Furlings, unwittingly becoming an accomplice to their greatest creation.

The First watched in horror as the Slayer was created, and it felt a danger to those it considered its children; the demons that remained on Earth. Unable to physically do anything, the First watched as Sineya rose to her feet after becoming the Slayer. And then, after many decades, and leading the war against the Slayer by manipulating demons, witches, and warlocks… the First was further enraged by the resultant death of the Slayer.

It had seen Athena cradling Sineya in her arms while she was talking to herself; in reality, the First had no idea that Athena was speaking with Hera who made herself known to only Sineya and her sister. The First witnessed the dead Sineya rising from Athena's arms high into the air, where lines of blue light erupted from the body and travelled in all cardinal and ordinal directions. The First shook its head as it felt itself being chained down. It screamed in rage as it felt the lines descending onto the Earth and then passing through it.

The First then saw it… it saw the line of Slayers from the Potential to the Chosen. It saw the warriors destroying demons, and keeping peace on Earth. The First tried to break the chains that it could feel binding it to the Earth. Eventually, it couldn't see... all it felt was the power of magic, combined with the power of Athena's clones, and the power of the Earth itself coursing through the lines created by the death of Sineya. The Slayer Lines sealed the First away and prevented it from interfering with any living thing on the planet. The First could still absorb evil, but it couldn't do anything.. not even make itself known to demons.. or any of its other minions like the Bringers, or the Turok-Han.

And that's how the First remained for thousands of years. It absorbed the evil of humans and demons, absorbed the images and memories of the ones who died… but it was unable to interfere. So the First went into hibernation, gathering its power, strength, and evil throughout the ages.

It would be thousands of years later that the First woke up. It felt a tremor in the lines that sealed it away. It felt the chains weakening against it. With the strength it had been gathering, the First tore through the chains and broke the seal holding it away. Once it was away from the weakened seals caused by the Slayer Lines that had once bound it in place, The First could feel the Slayer Lines strengthening again, but it was too late… she was already out in the open. And she wouldn't be trapped again as it arrived at the source of the disruption. The First stared at a young blonde girl waking up after a dark haired young man brought her back from death with an ensouled vampire standing over the two of them.

The First took on her form, and it knew what happened. The Slayer, Buffy Summers died and was then brought back to life. Buffy's recovery created a ripple throughout the Slayer Lines… the effects of which Buffy and everyone on Earth would be soon feeling. The First made itself then known to her Bringers, who celebrated their god's release, and then it began building its army in the bowels of Sunnydale.

A vast army of Turok-Han that was preparing for war. They would be combined with numerous other demons that would come through the Hellmouth once the Turok-Han were released into the Earth. But not now, the First's power was still growing, but it wasn't at the level it needed to be. The Turok-Han would spread fear far beyond the borders of Sunnydale, and with the Slayers and Potentials destroyed… there would be no-one to stop her. And with the memories of General Jacob Carter in the First's essence, it wanted to spread demons throughout the galaxy once Earth had fallen to the First's clutches.

'The Galaxy will be mine,' thought the First to itself as it continued to wonder about the similarities between Willow and Athena while it stood in the darkened road. Eventually, the First put off the idea that they were one and the same person before vanishing, 'try all you want. By this time tomorrow, I will have gathered enough power to hold the seal open, and let my Turok-Han out.'

TBC.

 


	56. Chapter 56

**Sunnydale Army Base, thirty minutes later.**

MacKay was surprised when he received news that the Summers house had been evacuated due to an attack. He was standing at the entrance to a hanger with his hands in his pockets as he saw the lights of the convoy heading towards him. Tired of complaining about the noise levels in the Summers home making him unable to concentrate, he returned to the Sunnydale Army base earlier that day so that he could run tests on the energy being released by the Hellmouth. The best way to test the energy, he determined, was to join with the group that was already at the Sunnydale outpost in the dessert.

That's where he was when he received the news about the attack, and so he contacted the SGC and had himself teleported to the Sunnydale Army base thanks to the Prometheus. Back in the present, Mackay rushed up to the SUV's as the convoy stopped and the soldiers removed the weapons cases on the backs of the Humvees.

"Colonel," said Mackay as he looked at Colonel Sheppard who was getting out of the lead SUV from the driver's side, followed by Tara and the others. Colonel Sheppard patted MacKay's shoulder and told him that it was a bit hectic back at the house, but they were all safe.

At least for now.

It would be later that night, with the four Potentials asleep, that Tara and Colonel Sheppard were outside sitting on a crate outside a building. A light breeze was going through the camp as they were soon joined by Wesley, Giles, Buffy, and Spike… the Slayer giving the ensouled vampire a wide berth. She still couldn't bear looking at him, but she was still acceptable with him being on the base with them especially after he had helped protect the Potential Slayers during the attack. With some of the others asleep, these six were the ones guarding the barracks containing the Potentials, Xander, Dawn, Lorne, and the others. Rose and Faith was off with Teyla and Ronan conducting a sweep of the base before they were to guard the barracks with two other soldiers. While Tara and Colonel Sheppard's group was talking about what to do next, an exhausted Willow was sleeping next to an empty cot – Tara's cot, while Xander was on the one next to her.

A blanket wrapped over his body, Xander was sleeping with a slight snore escaping his lips.

"Xander," whispered a gentle voice before he hummed, at the same time shaking his head while still asleep. The voice called out his name in a gentle tone again, and a female figure formed, a smile on her face when the young man stirred and turned on his cot to face Willow, whose back was to him on the next cot.

"Will," mumbled Xander as he pulled his blanket until it was covering his head, "you're talking in your sleep."

"Xander!" yelled the voice as the young man snapped open his eyes, and turned while pushing his blanket away and sitting up on his bed at the same time… all to see the dead Anya standing next to him.

"No," whispered Xander as he got out of the cot, tripped, and stumbled backwards to hit Willow's cot. The redhead woke up with a start, got up, and glared at Xander.

"Xander!" yelled Willow, "what are you…? Xand?"

Although she was still groggy due to her sudden awakening, Willow noticed her best friend was tense. His back to her, Willow quickly got off her cot as he raised his hand and pointed at a spot in front of him. Noticing that his hand was shaking, Willow turned to look at the stunned expression on Xander's face, and then she looked at the empty region of air Xander was pointing towards.

"Xand?" asked Willow as she placed a hand gently on his shoulder, "Xand?"

"Look at her," said Anya, her arms crossed over her chest, while staring at Willow who was asking Xander what was going on. Anya shifted her eyes back to Xander, who was still speechless, and told him that it was his fault that she died.

"I… I…" muttered Xander, his mind was telling him that the figure in front of him was the First Evil in the form of Anya.. in the form of the woman he loved with all his heart; even though he was the one who left her at the altar, "I.."

"I.. I.. I.. I...," mocked Anya shaking her head and waving her hands, "that's all you were ever good at, Xander."

"No," Xander shook his head before Willow grabbed him arm, and turned him to face her. She then grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him. When that didn't do anything since his head was still looking to the right, towards the region of empty air… Willow apologized before grabbing his chin, and turning his head towards her, and then delivering a slap across his face. His yelping woke up Lorne, Fred, Dawn, and the other Potentials… one of whom turned on the lights and asked what was going on in an exasperated tone of voice.

"That's what I want to know," asked Willow looking in concern at Xander, "Xand? I…."

"Stay away from her," said Xander as his eyes shifted to Willow's left, just over her shoulder. The redhead noticed the shift while the girls were getting out of bed, and looked to her right, and then back at Xander when she suddenly realized what was happening.

"Is it the First?" asked Willow while the others looked around nervously.

"Kennedy, Molly, find Buffy," ordered Dawn, "and get her here."

"They don't matter, Xander," said Anya as she remained unseen to Willow and the others, while Kennedy and Molly rushed outside. She glanced at Willow looking towards her direction, and not seeing anything, before the redhead turned to Xander and asked him what the First was saying.

"It came as Anya," mumbled Xander pointing at where the First was standing next to Willow. The redhead then held his hand, and turned towards the empty space, scanning it with her eyes.. trying to make out the First visually.

"It's ok, Willow, you don't have to look… I'm right here" said Anya as she became visible to everyone, making them step back a little. The First, dressed as Anya, looked at all of the people in the barracks and chuckled before telling them it was no use trying to hide, "whatever place you decide to hide yourselves in, I will find you… my army will find you… my Bringers will find you."

The First then glanced at Xander, and gave him a sad smile.

"Xander," she said in a sweet voice, "you leaving me was the lowest point in my life. I should have accepted D'Hoffryn's offer to become a vengeance demon again. But the problem was I still loved you, and it's because of that love that I declined that offer. All so that I could be with you someday… all so that you wouldn't see me as just another vengeance demon, and…"

"Ahn…"

"It's not Anya, Xander," said Willow as Buffy, Tara who ran up to Willow with Colonel Sheppard, and the others rushed into the barracks. The First sneered at the others before turning to Xander once again.

"Don't listen to them, Xander," Anya said, "when I died, the First took everything I was.. you know this. It's hell here, Xander… all because of you. All because you left, all because I still love you. I could have teleported away with Dawn if I had my powers, and…"

"Stop, Anya!" yelled Dawn as Fred held onto her while Buffy, her hands rolled into fists walked up to the First and ordered her to leave.

"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn," said Anya shaking her head, ignoring Buffy, while looking past her to the young brunette Summers, "you're such a problem child, you…"

"Shut up," growled Buffy.

"Xander?" said Anya sweetly, "do you still love me?"

"Yes," said Xander, his voice cracking, "I… I do, and…"

"The First has a deal for me," said Anya looking at Xander, and then at Buffy, and Willow, before turning to Xander again, "it is willing to free my soul from its own darkness. Xander, I can go to heaven.. Buffy, you know what it's like. It's heaven… I have a chance to go to heaven and…"

"Get out!" hissed Buffy.

"Oh, sweetie," said Anya with a smile directed at Buffy, "this isn't your decision. This is Xander's… he's the only one who can save my soul. To free it so that it can rise towards heaven… and stay there. Unlike what happened to you, you know?"

"Buffy, I…" said Willow, her heart still breaking over what Buffy told them last year, that she was ripped out of Heaven, and brought back to Earth… a hell for her. The blonde Slayer glanced over at the Colonel, and then looked at Willow before telling her that she had already forgiven her.. forgiven them for that incident. She then turned back to the First, and told her to leave Xander alone.

"Miss Pep," Anya said derisively at Buffy while bringing her finger to her lips, and then returned to Xander, "shhh. Xander? The First will let go of my soul. I'll be free but… but you have to do something."

"What?"

"Kill yourself," grinned Anya, "if you ever loved me, if you want my soul to be free, then kill yourself."

"Don't listen to her, Xander!" yelled Giles, "that isn't Anya… you…"

'Kill yourself," hissed Anya, "do you want me to stay burning for all eternity? Because that's what it's like. You know how many demons are in the First? All of them are ripping me apart… they are ripping me, ripping the souls of the demons who were trying to help humans, all of us are being ripped apart. I feel pain… and…"

"Anya!" shook Xander with tears welling in his eyes.

"I.. I'm losing myself," begged Anya, "I… please Xander, if you ever loved me… kill yourself."

Everyone on the room was stunned when Anya's eyes welled up with tears, "you don't know, Xander. It's hell for me inside the First. Can you imagine what they do to me when.. when I'm not here talking to you? When I fade into the…"

The First took the form of Laura Maclay and smiled at Tara. Willow held on to Tara's hand, and squeezed, as Colonel Sheppard placed his arm around his sister and glared at the First just as Faith and the others rushed into the barracks… with Ronon already taking aim at the First with his plasma weapon.

"Don't fire, Chewie," said Colonel Sheppard. Ronon was glaring at the First, in the form of Laura Maclay through the sight on his weapon before reluctantly putting it down… switching it to stun mode.

"Good boy," sneered Laura before turning to Tara, "my bright star. What a disappointment you've been… I…"

"You are not my mother," said Tara, a bit of anger in her voice, anger which the Scoobies had ever hardly heard. There was one she was angry at Anya during the incident at the Summers home when Dawn made a wish that forced everyone to remain in the house, but this was different. Willow looked at Tara, and could sense her anger, great anger.. and the redhead held tight onto her hand. This time, it was she who was trying to silently calm Tara instead of the other way around. Willow saw Colonel Sheppard whisper something into her ear, before nodding her head and then taking a deep breath.

What she said next surprised everyone, except for the Colonel.

"My mother's alive," said Tara glaring at the First, "I've talked to her. I've held her, she loves me… she loves Willow, and she loves my brother. You are not her."

"I am still here little girl while Anya's soul is being tortured for all eternity," sneered the First in Laura's form, "I'm still your mother, Tara. And you cannot stop me. None of you will be able to stop the tide that's coming. Which is why…"

The First then turned to Xander in the form of Anya, something that surprised Teyla, Rose, and Ronon, and said, "you kill yourself now Xander? And you don't suffer the torture and destruction coming for you. I get a chance to enter heaven, and… and I know you love me. I know you…"

"Oh, shut up," said a voice from behind Xander. Everyone, except for Ronon, Giles, Teyla, and Rose stepped back in shock upon seeing a bright white light appearing behind Xander. The light shone as a formless blob with tendrils along the edges, and a few seconds later it seemed to shift and form the outline of a person. The light soon faded to the figure of a woman in a cream blouse and black trousers, her blonde haired up to her shoulders as she glared at the First, and then gave a small smile to Xander.

"An… Anya?" Xander stared at the figured who just appeared out of nowhere, and then at the First who was giving him a smirk while in the form of the former vengeance demon. He alternated between the two Anya's before mumbling that he had no idea what was going on.

"Leave," said Anya as she glared at the First.

"You can't do a single thing," sneered the First as it shed its guise and appeared in its true form of a horned, hooded demon that had everyone gasping as they stared at the towering figure, "your world is over. My army will take everything."

"The humans will defeat you," said Anya as she looked up, "they will fight, and they will win."

"And we do not have to interfere," continued Anya before she looked down from the demon's face, to Buffy who was stunned silent with her mouth hanging open. Their eyes met while Anya continued talking towards the First, "you can be held back, until the time has come to battle on the humans' terms. They know what must be done, and they will win."

"Enjoy the final days of the human race," laughed the First before vanishing from the barracks, and leaving everyone facing Anya. They watched her walk towards the panting Xander who was doing everything he could to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape his eyes. He wanted to hug the woman walking towards him, he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to say sorry… but he was immobile and unable to speak. Xander thought he died, but she heard the thumbing of blood rushing behind his ears, and then he felt a breeze as Anya slowly walked past him. He turned around, and saw the blonde walking towards the already crying Dawn, who had her hands covering her mouth… trying to stifle her sobs.

"What happened was not your fault, Dawn," whispered Anya as she pulled the young woman in for a hug, an act that dispelled all thought that this particular Anya was a trick by the First. Dawn tightened her grip in the woman's back, feeling the warmth coming off her body before laying her head on her shoulder and crying while mumbling that she was sorry.

"No, don't be," Anya said gently as she looked at Buffy while hugging Dawn. She then looked at the others before whispering that she's been watching all of them, and that she couldn't directly interfere in their lives. Anya pulled back and wiped the tears from Dawn's eyes before she looked at Giles, and nodded her head with a smile, "thanks for looking after the store."

"I am a partner," said Giles with a chuckle before he stopped, and stared at Anya, "thank you.. for saving my life."

"Giles?" asked Buffy.

Giles told them about seeing Anya in London, that she had told him to get out of the Watchers Council building just before it exploded.

"And I was given a slap on the wrist for that," said Anya turning to Colonel Sheppard, and then to Willow. She remembered the vast library of knowledge in the higher planes, and had read about everything Athena had done. She remembered Melina talking proudly about her oldest daughter, before glancing at Dawn as Buffy wiped her tears. Anya couldn't believe what she had learned, and it was extremely hard to not tell Willow and Dawn the truth of who they once were… but she knew that was knowledge that couldn't be shared. Unless she wanted to be punished.

She then turned to Xander before dashing at him, and then jumping onto him.. her legs wrapped around his waist before leaning down for a kiss. It was a scene that made Buffy chuckle and glance at Colonel Sheppard who quickly looked away. The others looked away as well as Anya moaned while kissing Xander, however Rose looked on curiously while tilting her head.

"I should go," whispered Anya as she pulled back from the kiss and stared into Xander's eyes. He shook his head, leading to Anya telling him that she had already pissed the Others off by appearing in front of them, "but I'm watching over you, Xander."

"Come back?" asked Xander as her looked into her eyes just a he felt her getting lighter.

"I'm always here," said Anya as she started to fade with a smile on her face, "you never know, Xander. I could come back when you really, really need me."

And then she was gone, and Xander gave a small smile as a gust of wind brushed against his cheek. He felt a pair of lips brush his own, before the wind vanished.. and everyone sensed that they were all alone.

"John?" asked Buffy, "what.. what just…?"

"Tara?" asked Willow, "your mom is alive? I.. I thought…"

"Rose, Teyla, Ronon," said Colonel Sheppard, "take the Potentials to the Mess Hall, please."

"We deserve to know what's…" said Kennedy when she was pulled away by Rose. She was begged Rose to let her go, that they deserved to know what was going on as Teyla, and Ronon walked out of the barracks with the other Potentials.

Once the doors were closed, the Colonel started talking about the Ancients.. and how the SGC had encountered some of them in their ascended forms.

TBC.

 


	57. Chapter 57

**Sunnydale Army Base, Scooby Barracks, 2300 hours.**

The entire barracks occupied by Buffy and the extended Scoobies, minus the Potentials, were being very quiet as everyone tried to absorb what Colonel Sheppard had just told them about the Ancients, and the fact that many of them ascended to another higher dimension which had its own rules of non-interference in the lower plains of existence. The Colonel talked about AR-1 meeting with one of the Ancients, Chaya Sar, once they returned to the Pegasus Galaxy to inquire about Athena. The back and forth between the Colonel and the Scoobies continued for several minutes, with Colonel Sheppard answering as many questions as he could in regards to the Ancients. Tara told the others that she had already met her mother, that it was how she knew that the form the First had taken wasn't really Laura.

"So Anya's…?" asked Xander, still in disbelief while his heart raced at the thought of Anya still being alive, "I mean…"

"I guess the one act of sacrificing herself for Dawn was enough to ascend her after her death," said Tara as she looked at Xander and then at Dawn who was wiping her tears while nodding her head, "and she's been doing everything she could to better herself even before that. So she's in a place of warmth and light."

"If she wasn't there to tell me to leave, then I would have died in the explosion at the Watchers Council," admitted Giles before turning to Xander and apologizing for not having told him the truth; that he had seen Anya, "she asked me not to say anything, Xander. She said she would come to you and make herself known when the time was right."

"I guess this was the time," replied Xander with a small smile on his face, "silly girl."

"She's still around, Xand," smiled Willow while resting a hand on his shoulder before she walked up to Tara and hugged her. The redhead then whispered in her ear, "so your mom really likes me?"

"Yes," answered Tara into the redhead's ear, "silly girl."

"So, what happens now?" asked Faith who was trying to get her mind around this new information, "the ghost girl, sorry Xan-man… I mean Anya, said that the First can be held back, but how? And that we can fight on our own terms? What did she mean by that?"

"I haven't the foggiest," mumbled Giles while scratching his head, "obviously she meant that there is a way to delay the First from taking any action but, what that is… I mean, I honestly can't tell. Anya didn't exactly give us a lot to go on."

"If she gave us a whole load of information, her bosses would have punished her," said the Colonel before placing his hand on Mackay's shoulder.

"Rodney?" continued Colonel Sheppard as he turned towards the scientist, "any idea?"

"Not one," Mackay said nodding his head, "but I did find something at the Sunnydale Outpost."

"The what now?" asked Wesley, "Sunnydale Outpost?"

"It seems the Ancients built an outpost in the desert to monitor this thing you insist on calling the Hellmouth," said Mackay shrugging his shoulders, "it's unlike the other outposts we found… the one in Sunnydale's been gathering data for the past ten million years."

"Hold on," interrupted Giles as Mackay stopped talking and frowned at the Watcher, "are you saying that…"

"That the Ancients somehow knew about a so-called Hellmouth?" asked Mackay as he air-quoted the 'Hellmouth', much to the consternation of Colonel Sheppard who asked the scientist to continue, "look, I honestly can't tell you if the energy readings are coming from some sort of a hell dimension, or.. something.. all I can say is that the energy readouts are increasing."

"What are you talking about?" asked the Colonel.

"Ten million years ago, give or take, is about the time the Ancients left in Atlantis," said Mackay waving his hands, "four thousand years after that, the data shows a massive energy surge. And then nothing. We're still going through the data, but I managed to get most of it before I came back after I heard about the attack. Anyway, three thousand years later, there were massive energy surges for thousands of years before the readings settled back down. There were some energy spikes over the subsequent years, and… and well, there's been an energy spike for the past year. It's nearly equal to the very first energy surge."

"Dr. Mackay," said Giles, his heart racing while thinking about what the spikes could represent. He had to change his thinking about certain things, but one thing he was sure of was that the Hellmouth was real… he just hoped against hope that it wasn't what he thought it would be, "is it possible that the Ancient equipment in the outpost picked up demons coming into this dimension from other dimensions? It is at all possible?"

"Mackay?" asked the Colonel as Mackay looked away thoughtfully before mumbling to himself that anything moving from one dimension to another would have to give off a lot of energy. He wasn't sure if it would at the same level as the surges recorded in the outpost, but it was possible for some things to have come through. He then looked up at Giles and told him it was possible, "but the initial energy surge would mean that… hey, you ok?"

"Giles?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Watcher's ashen face. The older man then looked at Wesley who was shaking his head, saying "it would be entirely possible, Mr Giles."

"What would be entirely possible?" asked Lorne.

"What if the energy surges were demons coming through to this dimension using the Hellmouth?" asked Wesley while Giles took off his glasses and started to nervously clean them, "what if that's what the equipment was monitoring?"

"Then the Ancients would have to know that the so-called demons were coming through; no, I think the outpost was set up to study the energy readings, now that part is," clarifying Mackay, "look all we know is that there were energy surges, we don't know if it was demons or spooks, or goblins, or the Loch Ness monster."

"Let's say it was demons," said Fred just before Tara interrupted her.

"Ummm…" said Tara holding up her hand, "actually, it was demons… when Thor brought me and John to his ship…"

"That is just so cool," whispered Willow and Xander while Tara gave the both of them a smile.

"He showed us a video of demons walking the Earth," said Tara, "so demons do exist, Dr. Mackay."

"Oh dear lord," said both Wesley and Giles together, before looking at each other, and then back at Tara. It was Giles who then asked if Thor would be willing to show them the video as it would be something of historical importance, something that Wesley agreed with. Before Tara could say anything, though, it was Colonel Sheppard who said that he needed to asked Homeworld Security and Thor.

"We won't tell anyone, of course," said Giles while Wesley nodded, "but just being able to… oh my."

Giles was shuddering at the thought of actually seeing the Old Ones walking on the surface of the planet.

"Take it easy, Giles," said Buffy smirking at her excited Watcher, and then she looked at Wesley who had a faraway look in his eyes… and Buffy knew that they both of them were thinking about seeing the actual Old Ones. Rolling her eyes, she asked Fred to continue. Fred smiled as she put her hands into her jeans while standing next to Faith, "the energy spikes that Dr. Mackay was talking about could mean that something really bad is coming. We need to do something, at least somehow.. I mean… what if there's an overload in the Hellmouth and demons just start pouring out into the streets?"

"Maybe…" mumbled Buffy as she recalled the nightmare she had about the dead girls - the dead Potentials - in the school basement. The bodies were piled around what looked like a manhole cover that had a demonic goat-face etched onto it. Buffy looked up at the Colonel, who was looking back at her, "the nightmare I had about the dead Potentials underneath the High school, what if that cover thingy is the key to the dream. Anya looked at me, and said that the First can be held back. I.. I mean it felt like she was telling me that I knew what to do.. that…"

"We're going off here on a wild goose chase," said the Colonel, "maybe we should…"

"John," said Dawn as Giles was shaken back to reality by Faith, and Wesley by Lorne, "Buffy's prophetic dreams are never wrong. If she saw the basement of the school, and this 'manhole' cover, then it's key to preventing whatever it was that the readings from the Sunnydale Outpost is showing."

"John," said Tara, "we should get to the school tomorrow. We have to check on what Buffy's seen in her dream."

"More like nightmare," clarified Buffy.

"Alright," replied the Colonel as he looked at everyone, "get some shut-eye. I'll get the Potentials back in, and.. yeah.. get some sleep."

"And if Kennedy and the others ask?" asked Wesley,

"We tell them that the Powers that Be sent Anya to warn us," answered Giles while the Colonel nodded his head in agreement, "John?"

"Sounds good to me," said the Colonel, "first thing tomorrow morning, we head to the High School."

"You do realize it's going to be open tomorrow, right?" asked Dawn.

"And I'm working," replied Buffy, "so I really suggest not coming in with your whole soldier uniform thing."

"We won't," the Colonel assured Buffy, "but… your clothes?"

"We need a ride back home," said Buffy and Dawn together, "it should be safe during the day, and you did say we should be hearing something about a permanent arrangement by tomorrow."

"There should be something," replied the Colonel, "hopefully. Anyway, the Potentials will be staying on base… we can get them something to wear from the base, at least for now. Willow and Tara will be…"

"Class," answered the both of them while the Colonel chuckled before nodding his head. He then told the two young women that they would then start some training with him after class; and both Tara and Willow nodded their heads.

"Faith?"

"I got nothing," she replied.

"Faith and one of the instructors here will work with Teyla," said the Colonel, "the there of you will be working with the Potentials and their training while myself, Ronan, Mackay, and Rose heads down to the basement."

"Oh, I'm still going with you," said Buffy, "I'll take a few minutes off since I don't think I'll be seeing anyone until ten."

"You sure?" asked the Colonel.

"Yea," was the reply as Buffy nodded her head. The Colonel then have his 'ok' before Giles chimed in saying that he was going along with them, while the others would be at the Magic Box.

"No need for a large group to head to the basement," said Giles.

"What about me?" asked Spike as Buffy turned her head towards him, and then looked away, "I can help. Slayer? Slayers?"

"How about walking out in the sun?" asked Xander before Spike turned to him and told him to go 'sod off'. Xander had been the aftermath of what happened to Buffy, he remembered the injured she had after the incident, and he wanted to do all he could to prevent Spike from harming her again. It was then that Xander realized that, ever since Anya's death, he was a shadow of his former self. But now that he saw Anya… saw that she was indeed 'alive'… Xander felt alive again.

He felt content, which led to another insult being hurled at Spike.

"Children," said Giles as he fixed his glasses while the Colonel looked over at Buffy, who was looking back at him, and then away towards Giles who was telling Spike to find out any information he could on the Bringers; especially their hideouts.

"I can do that," he said, but I need to leave at night.. as in right now if you want the best information."

"John?" said Giles turning towards the Air Force officer, "Spike's contacts could give us the information we need in finding out where the Bringers have their hideouts, and maybe even where they keep their weapons."

"Do it," said the Colonel, "but I want Rose to go…"

"John," interrupted Buffy who shook her head. She was afraid that Spike would hurt the young woman, despite having seen that Rose was capable of taking care of herself back at the house during the attack.

"Rose is a fighting machine," said the Colonel who guessed Buffy's concern in her voice was for Rose's safety, wanted to allay her fears and, at the same time, he also wanted Spike to know that he was being watched, "all of the clones we have on Atlantis are fighters through and through. I have seen a Wraith struggle to suck out her life-force before she killed him. She can handle Spike… and Spike?"

"Yea?"

"You betray us? Rose will end you," said the Colonel while glaring at Spike who nodded his head. It was a few minutes later that the Potentials and the others were brought back into the barracks, with Kennedy and the others told that the Powers that Be had sent Anya to them. He then asked Rose to accompany Spike, it was something that made the young woman nod her head while Kennedy occasionally glanced at her figure. She wanted to go with the two of them, and she had put her hand up to volunteer… but was quickly put down by Colonel Sheppard and Buffy. It wasn't long before Rose and Spike left the barracks, and then the base. Before leaving though, the young clone was ordered to dust Spike is he does anything to hurt her, or betray them, and then to wait for them at the Summers house once it was daybreak the next day.

**Sunnydale High School, 0900 hours.**

As Buffy was seated behind her desk, she waited for the Colonel's call… she and Dawn had been escorted by Ronon back to their house where they met up with Rose and Spike, both of whom shook their heads when asked if they had any new information on the whereabouts of the Bringers. Buffy frowned when Spike said he and Rose did everything they could, but no one was talking.

"They are afraid," said Rose, "afraid of losing their lives should the Bringers be sent by the First to kill them."

"But a few were saying something about being devoured from beneath," said Spike, "maybe they're underground?"

"D'uh," replied Buffy as Dawn rushed up the stairs to take a shower first, "the first time I saw the Bringers was underground, but…"

"They could be keeping weapons underground," said Rose, "the issue is that we do not know where."

"The Prometheus left this morning for a test," said Ronon, "ummm.. I'll call Sheppard and get him to have Wesley take Spike back to the base and search maps of the city."

"What are you thinking?" asked Spike.

"There has to be a place where they are keeping weapons," said Ronon, "if they're going to take over the city, and then the world, then they need a lot of weapons."

"Search for underground caverns," said Buffy nodding her head, "anything where the Bringers could be hiding stashes of weapons."

"We will," said Spike before Buffy turned to Rose and asked her if Spike had tried to hurt her in anyway

"He has not. At least he has not tried to." Rose said.

"That's because I have a soul," Spike reminded them before setting his eyes on Buffy, "I can't forget what I did, all those times ago… nor.. the times after that. You…"

"I got to get my clothes out," said Buffy as she was about to turn away, but Spike begged her to let him finish what he wanted to say. Sighing, Buffy turned and faced Spike while Ronon stood next to her.

"I'm sorry," said Spike, "I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I know you won't forget the things I've done… but I am sorry."

Buffy just looked at the vampire before turning away. She then rushed up the stairs and closed her door. Then, once Dawn was out of the shower, it was Buffy's turn. As Buffy was taking a shower, Tara and Willow were escorted to the dorms by Colonel Sheppard. In the meantime, Xander and Giles were escorted to their respective homes by Mackay.. who waited for them to change and then shower. Once Buffy and Dawn were done, Ronon escorted them to the High School while Wesley, taken from Lorne and Fred's group, and Spike were taken back to the base where they could access the computers. In the meantime, the Colonel escorted Tara and Willow to their respective classes, with Tara being the last one he escorted.

"Be careful," said Tara before hugging her brother. It was just then that he received notification that the soldiers escorting Lorne, and Fred had seen them off at the Magic Box; and one of the soldiers would be standing guard at the shop.

"I will," answered the Colonel after putting away his phone, and then kissing Tara on her cheek, "I'll see you soon."

Back in the present time, once AR-1 were done with their respective duties, they met up at a corner of the High school. They waited outside a pair of closed doors as the Colonel took out his phone and called a number. Back in the counselling office, Buffy's phone rang… and she immediately knew it was time for what they had planned; a journey to the basement. She got up, and peeked her head into the Principal's office.. telling her that she'd be right back. Principal Wood just nodded his head before asking her to get back as soon as possible.

As Buffy left the office, and headed down a hallway, Principle Wood looked at the now empty doorway. He knew that something was wrong, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that the Hellmouth was acting up, and he needed to reveal who he was to Buffy.

'Maybe over dinner,' thought the Principal as he went back to work, 'I'll talk to her when she gets back.'

TBC.

 


	58. Chapter 58

**Sunnydale High, 0910 hours.**

Buffy opened a side door to let Colonel Sheppard, Giles, Xander, Ronon, Rose, and MacKay into the school; with the scientist closing the door behind him. With the hallway empty since students were in class, Buffy led the group silently towards a stairwell where she opened the door and let everyone in. Closing the door behind her, Buffy moved to the front of the group with Colonel Sheppard, before walking down the stairs to the basement.

"You have these dreams all the time?" asked Ronon, who was told about Buffy's prophetic dream after he brought back the Potentials last night to the barracks, as they followed Buffy down the dimly lit hallway.

"Usually when there's supposed to be an apocalypse," whispered Buffy as she looked over her shoulder at Ronon, and then at Rose, and then she looked at Colonel Sheppard before looking away, "it comes and goes; I really have no control over it."

"It's one of the aspects of being a Slayer," added Giles.

"Oh," said Ronon as he reached to his left for his plasma gun, but remembered that he was told not to take it with him since they were performing their recon mission during the day. Instead, he had the smaller Zat with him... as did the rest of AR-1. It was soon that, with their footsteps falling on the concrete steps of the staircase, they reached the basement floor. Buffy reached for the exit door and opened it, with Colonel Sheppard and the others following her out into the dimly lit basement hallway. They walked in silence past boxes and crates before making a turn and then reaching another door at the end of another long hallway. The Colonel looked at Mackay and told him to activate the video camera he was holding; that they needed to document everything so that they could find out the reason for the manhole cover.

"Once I have an image of what it looks like, Xander and I can begin researching what it is with Wesley and the others at the Magic Box," said Giles while Xander nodded his head.

"If it exists anywhere, you mean," said Mackay as he turned on the camera, and held it up, pointing the device at Buffy who looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He then turned it to the Colonel who sighed before looking at Ronon and Rose. Motioning towards the door at the end of the hallway, they then continued walking a few more down the hallway, with the light under the door flickering. The group then stopped when they saw shadows passing the light that streamed out into the hallway from beneath the door, light that led to Rose and Buffy immediately taking point while the Colonel and Ronon took out their Zats from underneath their jackets. Mackay too had taken out a Zat in one hand while holding onto the camera, just as they cautiously approached the door.

Rose turned back to the Colonel upon reaching the door and placed her hand on the doorknob. Buffy, curious, looked back at the Colonel who had his weapon up and aimed at the door, as did Ronon, and Mackay. Buffy then turned to look at Rose, who nodded her head towards the side, signalling to Buffy that she take a few steps back. Silently, the clone then raised her hand and started to count down from 'five'.

Once they reached 'zero', Rose kicked down the door before moving to one side while the Colonel, Ronon, and then Mackay stormed in with their weapons raised, prepared to shoot at anyone, living or dead in the large room.

"Oh God," whispered Mackay as he put down the Zat with his eyes wide open in shock at what he was seeing. While Rose and Buffy then rushed in, the Colonel and Ronon put their hands over their noses and put their zats back into their holsters. Rose and Buffy too had their hands over their noses, trying to do everything they could from breathing in the stench of nearly forty dead bodies lying around a hole in the ground that seemed to have been dug up within the past few days. Buffy looked around at the shovels laying next to the bodies, some of which were lying on top of one another in various stages of decay.

"Potential Slayers," whispered Buffy as she slowly put her hand down and stared at all of the bodies while Mackay took video of the area, including the symbols on the walls, and the various candles that were spread around the room with the dried blood from the dead girls having travelled down the sides of the hole in the dirt beneath the concrete ground, and onto the manhole cover. She looked at the design on the cover, as did Mackay with the camera, Colonel Sheppard, Giles, and Ronon were about to go down the sides of the dirt hole and examine the cover closely when Rose held her hand up.

"Colonel," said Rose as she looked at the design, and then at her team leader, "do not go down there, there is something wrong, we must leave…. Now."

"I.. I think we should go, too," said Mackay. He didn't want to tell anyone, but he was terrified. He could feel something in the room, something that caused the hair on his arms to stand... but he didn't want to imagine what it could be. All he wanted to do was simply get out. So with his bravest face, he told the Colonel that they found the cover and that now they could bring more people to the basement to examine what exactly it was, and why it existed down in the basement of the school, "I could connect what we have with Jackson's computers at the SGC."

"And I could use the video to cross-reference the image with the books we have in the Magic Box," said Giles fixing his glasses while looking down at the cover, "Fred and Willow could scour the internet as well, there has to be something on what this cover is meant to... well... cover."

"I described it to Tara last night," said Buffy looking at Mackay, and noticed that he was very afraid before turning to the Colonel, "she drew something close to this... maybe I missed some details when I was describing it to her. And… and I saw these dead girls too. Some of them are wearing the same clothes as in my dream, and…"

"I needed to come here," said Rose, her head tilted in confusion as she stared at the cover with the etching of the pentagram and the horned goat.

"Rose?" asked Colonel Sheppard as the clone took a step forward, her eyes transfixed on the cover. He then turned to Ronon who was walking around the room and checking the walls, before taking a look at the bodies of the girls. He then walked up to Buffy and Rose, telling them that he hadn't been able to find an exit out of the room.

"At least except for the door we just came through," clarified Ronon.

"Then those shadows we saw under the door were…?" asked Mackay before he gulped. He looked at the Colonel while his camera was still pointing at the cover at the bottom of the hole. He didn't want to show them that he, one of the greatest scientists in two galaxies, was terrified by some shadows… so he told them in an even voice that they needed to bring some equipment to bring back these girls to the base.

"We give them a burial," said Buffy.

"There's no need," said another voice, an unfamiliar voice, one which got the group to look at the other side of the hole. There, standing in a light blue dress with leggings visible under the skirt, was a young dark haired girl wearing glasses, and smiling at Buffy, "why didn't you save me, Buffy?"

The figure, with Mackay pointing the camera right at her, looked at all the bodies and then back to Buffy again.

"Why didn't you save us, you had dreams that we died," she said, "but you never saved us…. And…"

"You're the First," said Buffy, her hands clenched into fists.

"My names Kelsy Holt," said the young woman with a sad expression on her face, "I died in…"

"Everyone leave," said the Colonel as the First turned towards him, and smiled.

"You can leave, Johnny boy," said Kelsy with a smirk on her face, and then turned to Mackay, "that thing on?"

"Yes," nodded Mackay.

"Hear this meat-bags," said the First as she looked directly into the camera, "and yes, you can see me. I'm in such a good mood that, what the hell… I'll tell you what's going to happen because.. because when it does? Hell is coming to this world, my hell. My children will come forth, and I will be within very man, woman, and child. I am their mother; every evil comes from me you pesky insignificant gnats, and when my army comes forth, the Hellmouths will open, and the Old Ones... all my children will return. This planet will be mine and then…"

The First then took on General Carter's image, and smiled at the Colonel, "what do you say to a superior officer, Colonel?"

"You're dead, General," said Colonel Sheppard, "you're not him, you're…"

"I'm him, John," said General Sheppard, "the First has a good point you know, it will rule over all… it will use my memories and… and everyone from the SGC will die in the coming apocalypse. The First will use all I know to send demons to every planet in this galaxy. And now…. Back to the camera then. Where was I now? Oh, yes…. To all you meatbags, the end of your world is tonight. Say goodbye to your family, to your friends, have sex with your wives, girlfriends, boyfriends. Enjoy what remains of your lives."

The First then pointed at the cover and told them that the army was already waiting to move out, with more coming through into this dimension. It then turned to the group of humans around it and said that there was nothing they could do.

"I'm just being kind for this one moment," said The First as it took Buffy's form, "all your magic, all your spells, all your technology, nothing will be…"

"Ow," said Rose as her face scrunched up in pain before she looked down, placed her hands on the sides of her head, and then shook her head asking of everyone heard a ringing in their ears.

"Rose?" asked Colonel Sheppard while Ronon and Mackay looked on in worry. The young woman then grabbed a hold of Buffy's shoulder, leaning on the Slayer while she glared at the First, who tilted its head at Rose. The clone then looked at the cover on the ground, and then at Colonel Sheppard who asked her what was going on.

"She knew," said Rose as she turned and looked at Buffy with her eyes wide open, "she knew I was coming, she's saying that it was fate. I… I came, and…"

"Rose," said Mackay as he walked up to her past the Colonel while Ronon was glaring at the First, who itself was looking curiously at Buffy, Xander, Giles, and the others, "let's get you out of here. You're a wonder of science and.. and you're not supposed to get sick or…"

"Not, not sick," said Rose as blood started coming out of her nose, much to the surprise of Buffy and the others, especially AR-1, "I hear her… telling me what she needs…"

"Who are you talking about?" asked Buffy as she held onto Rose, supporting her as the clone's ears started to bleed. Buffy looked concerned at what was happening to the young woman, and then looked at Giles, and finally at Colonel Sheppard. The Colonel ordered everyone out of the room, with the First was telling everyone to enjoy their last few hours. Ronon was about to carry Rose in his arms when Rose turned to the First and said that 'she' told her the truth.

"Ok, enough with the pronoun game," said Xander, "who's this 'she'?"

Rose started to pant while seat broke out of her forehead just as Ronon was about to pick her up.

"Explanations later," said Ronon.

"No, Ronon," begged Rose as she stepped back while shaking her head as the cover started to make a noise. The First looked at the cover spinning with a hissing sound, and then back at Buffy and the others, who were staring stunned at the cover, with a smile on her face.

"I lied," smirked the First as the cover stopped spinning, and then started to open; one quadrant opening, followed by another one, "you really think I'd give you some time to yourselves? You people chose to come here, and now you will be the first to die. Think about it this way, you'll die fast."

"Sineya," whispered Rose as Ronon attempted t o pick her up again, "Sineya!"

"Wait, wait, wait," said a shocked Giles as he rushed to Ronon's side, "you said Sineya?"

"Guys!" screamed Xander as he pointed at the pale arm that thrust out of the open cover, and then grabbed onto the side of the entrance, sharp nails on pale hands digging into the dirt. It was followed by another arm, and then by roars and growls from beneath the now open hole. Everyone brought out their Zats and aimed at the arms just as a pale head with ridges on the forehead, yellow eyes, and pointed ears, and a mouth full of sharp teeth peeked out. The creature jumped out of the hole, followed by another one, and then another one while the First laughed.

"The Turok-han!" cried Giles as AR-1 started to fire.

"Giles!" yelled Buffy as she punched a pale Turok-han vampire, while the still weakened Rose was still strong enough to kick and push back another vampire. The blonde Slayer told Giles and Xander to get out and evacuate the school while Colonel Sheppard, who was firing his Zat with Ronon by his side, told Mackay to get out of the room and contact the Army Base for help… they needed every weapon brought to the school immediately.

"GO!" ordered the Colonel before he was pushed into a wall by another Turok-han that had just come out of the hole. With six of the pale vampires now present, three of them headed for the exit, which Buffy managed to stop, while seven more rushed out of the hole. Buffy continued to fight, but she was being slowly overrun. The Zat fire from Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, and the disobeying Mackay pushed them away. But the Zat's weren't being fully effective this time... the vampires weren't being put down.

"Giles!" screamed Buffy before she was pushed down, leading to a full-on attack on the others with Giles and Xander joining the fray as well. However, just before a vampire slashed Xander's side, its claws tearing his skin.. the young man grabbed Giles and pushed him out into the hallway, and then closed the door from the inside while Ronon tackled the two vampires that joined the one attacking Xander. Xander, screamed at Giles to run and get Faith, Willow, and Tara before he turned and ducked. He rolled away from another vampire's slash, getting up just as he was hit by Rose being thrown into him by another vampire. Grabbing his side while groaning, Xander felt the wetness on his side before feeling being lifted onto his feet by Rose. He saw the vampires being lit up with blue surges of energy just as Rose yelled at the top of her lungs and pushed away the two of the three Turok-Han attacking Buffy.

"Ahhhh!" yelled Rose as she grabbed her head again. This gave the Turok-han an opportunity to slash their nails into her chest and then her face. However, once they did, the ancient vampires watched the slash marks on her face heal befoe she picked up one of them, and then slammed them onto the roof.

"It is time," said a gravelly voice that only Rose could hear as she screamed again in pain, before being punched and slashed by three more Turok-han. She could see the others struggling, especially Buffy who was already bleeding and bruised, while the Colonel and Mackay were nursing broken bones. Ronon was holding his own, but with four vampires surrounding him, and Xander as well, they were doomed. Rose then turned to the First while still hearing Sineya's voice in her mind telling her, "it was destiny that you come. Do you see? Do you see who you are? What you have come to do? What you were created to be?"

Rose saw flashes of lights, and within those lights were memories of a time long past. Rose saw Athena and Sineya on a field of grass, she saw Athena creating the clones, and then the sacrifice of the clones at the hands of the Furlings, followed by the joining of the essence - the power of the clones with the Shadow Demon. And finally, the combined power of the clones and the demons being transferred into Sineya.

And then she understood.

Rose was slammed onto the roof due to her being distracted thanks to her memories, and fell onto the ground. She stared at the hole where the cover used to be, and then up at Colonel Sheppard.

"Colonel!" yelled Rose as she slowly got up, "I know why I am here, I know why I was created… it was for this moment."

Colonel Sheppard was already dizzy as two vampires bit down on him, while he could barely see a blur of Buffy continuing to fight before she was slammed into a wall. He then saw MacKay struggling, while Ronon was lifted into the air, and then slammed onto the floor before being set upon by four vampires who bit into him. Xander had tried to get the vampires off the Colonel, but the one he tried to push off with his good hand grabbed it, and then brushed him away so that he fell against the door. He screamed because of the pain on his side from the earlier slashes, and because of the broken arm.

Before falling onto the ground as vampires set on him, the Colonel knew that they were in hell. Three more vampires rushed out of the hole and were about to attack Buffy who was holding onto a dislocated shoulder before she screamed as three Turok-han grabbed onto her from the back, and the new arrivals rushed her with two eventually biting down on either side of her neck, and the other one biting down into the femoral artery in her thigh.

"Buffy!" screamed Rose as she got up and rushed forward. A surge of strength going through her as she grabbed one of the vampires biting down on Buffy, and pulled it off her. Rose smashed her fist into the Vampire's chest and then glared at it before pulling out its heart… dusting the creature. She then turned and pulled the two biting down on Buffy's neck before throwing them into the ones biting down on Colonel Sheppard. The vampires stumbled on the ground while Rose could hear a very faint heartbeat from the Colonel, while Buffy was already weakened as she was thrown into the ground before the three vampires who had been holding her up charged at Rose. The clone pushed them off, but the rest of the Turok-han joined their brothers in subduing the screaming Rose and bring her down to her knees.

"My army is coming out," said the First as she glared at Rose who was being held by the other Turok-Han while the newcomers from the hole who had just climbed out started feeding on the Colonel, and then others… including Buffy, "you failed, alien."

"Buffy!" said Rose as two vampires bit into her while she was brought up to her knees, "Buffy!"

Rose gritted her teeth and panted while she felt the sharp teeth of the vampires tearing into her skin, and drinking her blood. The Clone saw Buffy, slowly and painfully move her head up to face Rose.

"The power of my brother and sisters flows through your veins, through Faith's veins as well," said Rose as she started to feel a little weaker while the vampires increased their feeding on her blood. They pushed her to the ground as another three bit into her while the First looked down. Rose turned her face, already turning pale, towards Buffy and screamed, "the power of Athena's living weapons combined with the Shadow Demon flows within you! Remember that!"

"No," said a stunned First as it stared at Rose. It then turned to the other vampires and screamed in rage, "kill her! Drain her now!"

The other vampires left the humans who were very near death and then started to feed on Rose. The vampires taking up every inch of flesh they could as Rose gasped in pain.

"I.. I give my power to Sineya," whispered Rose as her eyes became heavy.

"Rose?" whispered a severely drained Buffy as she struggles to keep her eyes open.

"Sineya, do what… what you saw me coming here for… use… use my essence to…. To… temp… temp… seal," whispered Rose as her eyes closed.

"Kill her now! She is…."

Just before the First could finish what it wanted to say, Rose closed her eyes and whispered, "I knew you were my mother." A ball of blue light then rose from Rose's pale form; eventually, the light floated high in the room. The First screamed enraged just as the light exploded, dusting each and every vampire in the room, just before coalescing again and then falling towards the hole in the ground. Just as it entered the hole, the cover reformed with a blue-hued shield covering it.. a hue that vanished after a few seconds. Everything was a blur to Buffy thanks to her blood loss, but she had seen the blue explosion of light, and then heard the sound make by vampires being dusted into oblivion. She heard the panic in the First's voice, and then the scream it had given off.

Buffy's eyes grew heavier as all movement around her stopped… she saw a very still blur in front of her, and then another blur moving around.

"You bought yourself only a few months, meat bag," Buffy heard the First say, but she wasn't sure if it was directed at just her since she was simply too weak to see what was happening. Unable to do anything, Buffy hoped that Giles made it out okay.. and that the school was evacuated. Her thoughts turned to Dawn, and then to her mother. Just before closing her eyes, she heard the sounds of footsteps rushing in after the door was slammed open. Before losing consciousness, Buffy was sure that she heard Giles voice, but that didn't matter… not as much as suddenly finding herself standing on her front lawn. A confused Buffy turned around when a hand fell on her shoulder, she was about to attack when her eyes wen wide upon seeing who it was smiling back at her. Tears well in her eyes before she leaped forward and hugged Joyce, as well as Dawn who was standing right next to the older blonde. Buffy knew this was all just a dream, but the feeling of the warm sun light shining down on her as she felt her mother's hug made it seem as if this was all real; as if she hadn't just fallen from fighting a cadre of ancient vampires. While hugging her mother and sister, Buffy felt a hand on her back. Turning around, she saw Colonel Sheppard standing there, his hands in his pockets and a cheesy grin on his face. Buffy smiled as Giles, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander appeared in her hallucination; she looked at alll of them, and then turned back to Colonel Sheppard. Buffy took a few steps forward, and held the man's cheek in her hand. She didn't know if she was going to die that day, but she knew that there was one thing she wanted to do before she died. Knowing full well that this was a simple hallucination, Buffy leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips.

TBC

 


	59. Chapter 59

**Sunnydale Army Base, 0925 hours.**

Teyla was supervising the Potential Slayers training session at the Army Base when an uniformed soldier ran into the gym where a trainer was leading the four Potentials in some calisthenics. The alien woman was third in command in the expedition after Dr. Weir, and Colonel Sheppard; and she knew she was going to have to be in command again when she received the shocking news from the soldier, who whispered into her ear, that Giles had just called the Army base and told them that Colonel Sheppard and the others were under attack.

Teyla nodded her head before turning back to the Potentials and the trainer tapping him on the shoulder, "Lieutenant, please continue with their training. Something has come up, and I am needed at the school."

"Yes, ma'am," said the young man while the Potentials noticed the look of worry on Teyla's face before she turned around and rushed out of the gym with the soldier from earlier. The four Potentials just looked at each other while their hands were on their hips and panting before turning to the lieutenant who was training them. Kennedy asked what was going on, and was simply told that he had no idea as he looked at Teyla and the soldier leaving the gym. He then turned back to Kennedy and the other, and before the oldest Potential could say anything, the lieutenant barked, "now get back to work! All of you drop and give me twenty! Move it!"

As the door to the gym closed, Kennedy couldn't help but get a bad feeling in her gut that something was wrong while she was getting down into a push-up position. She didn't like that she and the other Potentials were being kept out of the loop, and it was something that she was going to have to change.

"Down!" barked the lieutenant as he walked along the line of four potentials who went down, and then push themselves back up.

In the meantime, Teyla and the lieutenant rushed into one of three Jeeps that were being filled with armed soldiers; and she sat next to the young man who had just told her about what happened. Just before entering the vehicle, she was handed a holster with a weapon with she attached to her belt, and hid it under the jacket that she retrieved from a bench just outside the gym. She then got into the front seat while the lieutenant took the driver's seat, with three other soldiers being piled on in the back seat.

"I need to make a call," said Teyla as she took out a phone that was provided to her by the SGC as the Jeep started to move, along with the two other vehicles behind it. As the convoy was heading for the base exit, Teyla dialled a number and then connected the call. Once the other line had been picked up, she asked to speak to General Landry at the SGC. Waiting for a few seconds, Teyla's SUV passed the base exit as General Landry's voice came over the line… and Teyla spoke, "General, this is Teyla. I just received news that Colonel Sheppard and the others have been attacked at the school basement."

"What? When?" exclaimed the General as he stood up suprised from his seat.

"Mr. Giles called the Army Base saying that Colonel Sheppard and his team were attacked," said Teyla, "he has already raised the alarm to evacuate the school as ordered by Colonel Sheppard."

"So the school's being evacuated," nodded the General.

"Yes," replied Teyla as the SUV drove fast towards the city.

"I'm sure the fire department and the police will be there as well," said the General, "I'll contact the proper authorities and provide them with a cover story, and have them wait for you."

"Understood," replied Teyla, "I will notify you once I have received news on Colonel Sheppard's condition."

"Godspeed," said the General before disconnecting the call. He then called General O'Neill at Homeworld Security.

**Sunnydale High School, three minutes after the call to the Army Base.**

Giles knew it was a foolish thing to do as he ran down the stairs back to the basement. He called the Army base first and told the person on the other line that there was a 'code red' at the school, and that Colonel Sheppard and his team were being attacked. Once the man on the other line told Giles he'll contact Teyla, Giles put the phone down and then pulled the fire alarm. As student and teachers were rushing out of their classrooms, Giles rushed against the flow of students running past him and opened the door to the stairwell that led to the basement. The older man ran as fast as he could into the quiet corridor; it was the silence, other than the sounds of his shoes hitting the concrete floor, that made his heart fall even though it was still racing mad within his chest.

There was complete silence in the hallways, there were absolutely no sounds. Giles was hoping to hear the sounds of fighting, quips from Buffy and Xander, or even the sound made by the Zat when it fired. However, he heard nothing.

"No, no," whispered Giles as he slammed the door open and was greeted with a terrible sight of bodies lying in pools of blood, "Buffy!"

Giles rushed to his Slayer who had just closed her eyes and lay her head onto the floor. He rushed to her and gently turned her over while looking at the blood flowing down from the scratches through her shirt and into her skin, and from her bite marks. He went down on his knees and cradled the top of her body in his arms while feeling for a pulse. Closing his eyes and taking a quick breath at the sensation of the jugular vein in her neck pulsing weakly, Giles lay her down gently and then rose up before heading towards Colonel Sheppard.

"John?" whispered Giles as he felt for a pulse. And was relieved that he was alive, as was Ronon and Mackay; however, they were still badly injured. He then looked at Rose's body, her still and pale body; and Giles' face fell.

"Rose?" he whispered rushing towards the young woman, "Rose?"

Giles felt for a pulse, but there was nothing there. The young woman was dead, and that was when Giles noticed the bite marks all over her body. Then out of the corner of his eyes, Giles thought he say a flashing red light. Turning towards the light, he eyed the camera that Mackay had been using to record what they found in the room. He then turned to the newly closed hole, and then back at Rose's body. Getting up to his feet a few seconds later, Giles walked over to the small camera and picked it up off the floor. Not wanted the police or the fire department to get at the footage, he placed the camera in the pocket under his shirt, and then stumbled towards the barely breathing Buffy.

"I'm here, Buffy," he whispered when he saw her lips moving, "help is on the way, just hold on."

"Mommy," the Slayer whispered as Giles looked on in worry.

Back on the outside of the school, Dawn was in the parking lot with the other students and teachers searching through the crowds for any signs of Buffy. She even rushed through the students calling for Buffy's name before turning around when she heard the sounds of police cars and fire engines. She saw the Principal rush up to one of the stopped cars with a few other teachers while the Fire engines stopped next to a hydrant. Shaking her head, Dawn turned and continued to search for Buffy, she knew that her sister was in school and that she was supposed to meet with Colonel Sheppard and the others to investigate the basement.

Her heart racing, Dawn began to suspect that this fire alarm had something to do with something that could have happened in the basement. She looked around while making her way slowly to the side of the school. She looked at the Principal who was talking to a few officers shaking their heads at him; with the Principal, seemingly being animated while waving his arms and pointing at the school. Dawn didn't know what was going on, but she still had to go back into the school and search for Buffy. She had overheard their plans last night, and knew where they were going… so once she made her way to the side of the school, Dawn opened the exit door and ran into the now empty hallway.

The alarm still blaring, Dawn rushed through the hallway as images of Buffy being in trouble flooded her head. Despite her occasional stubbornness, she still loved her sister and couldn't imagine living in a world where she lost both Buffy and her mother. It had taken Dawn a total of ten minutes to slowly move away from the crowd outside without being spotted to running down the stairs to the basement hallways. Once she was downstairs, everything was dead silent while the hallways were dimly lit.

Dawn gulped before running through the hallway alone.

"Buffy!" she screamed as she ran past several boxes that were stacked against the walls, "Buffy!"

Dawn continued to run yelling for Buffy when she heard a male voice echoing through the hallways.

"Giles!" yelled Dawn who ran faster towards the older man's voice. She then man a turn into another hallway where she saw a surprised Giles standing at the entrance to a larger room. Dawn ran towards him, but he rushed towards Dawn and held her back from the room.. demanding to know what she was doing there, and why she wasn't with the other students on the surface, in the parking lot.

"They're going to be worried about you, Dawn!" barked Giles. Dawn blinked at Giles after he yelled at her. She saw the fear and anxiousness on his face, and then she asked about Buffy, to which Giles simply responded gently, "go up to the surface, Dawn, you need to…"

"Why is there blood on your shirt?" asked Dawn when she noticed the blood and the torn sleeves on his shirt. She looked Giles over, and then back up at his face before asking about Buffy once again, "Giles, where's Buffy?"

"You need to go back up to… Dawn!"

Dawn ran around Giles, who turned and reached for her shoulder. However, he missed and Dawn stepped into the room where her eyes went wide open at the sight before her. Parts of Giles' shirt was pressed against the gashes on Buffy's body, the cloth already red with blood. Dawn rushed to Buffy and kneeled next to her before she looked up at Giles who told her that Buffy was still breathing, but her pulse was low. Dawn then looked at Colonel Sheppard and the others who were leaning against the wall, with drag marks from pools of blood that indicated they were moved. Giles told Dawn, who by this moment had turned to Rose who was lying on the sealed hole, that he moved Colonel Sheppard and the others away from the blood and that they were still alive.

He then looked at Rose, whose eyes had been closed earlier by Giles, and told Dawn that Rose had passed away. Dawn shook her head before looking down at Buffy with tears in her eyes, she looked over at Buffy's chest and a feeling of relief flooded her when the chest rose and fell repeatedly.

"Buffy?" said Dawn as she leaned forward and held her hand. Dawn held on tight to the warmth of Buffy's hand while whispering down at her. Giles sighed, and then walked up to the young girl and kneeled down before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"All of them are still breathing," said Giles as Dawn turned her head and looked at Giles, "Buffy will heal faster that the others, but she'll live. All of them are fighting on despite the blood loss, Dawn."

Dawn simply nodded her head while Giles told her that he already called the army base, and that they were sending a team. And it would be ten minutes later that a convoy of Jeeps would arrive at the school led by Teyla. The Athosian woman would be the first to step out of the Jeep, and then walk towards a group of officers. She explained that she was from the Pentagon, who had been called to examine a possible danger to the school.

"I'm the Principal, Robin Wood, what kind of a danger are we talking about here? Are my students in danger?"

"I am afraid it is classified, however, I do recommend sending the children home for today," said Teyla before looking at the officers and asking them to check in with their superiors.

"We were already told the military was going to be given jurisdiction," said one of the officers nodding his head while Robin, who had more questions, pushed them to the back of his mind for later. HE had to think about the students and teachers now, so he turned around and headed to his Vice-Principal and others.. telling them to call for school busses to take the students home.

"Send a message to all parents, that the need to pick up their kids," said Robin while Teyla and the soldiers were waving at the paramedics in the ambulances to follow them into the school.

**U.C. Sunnydale, at that same time.**

While seated at the front of the stadium style lecture hall, Tara was listening to her professor talking when she suddenly felt a tug on her chest. She placed her hand on her chest and looked down at the book, and gasped slightly. Looking back u, she saw that the young woman and man next to her looking at her, and then back at the professor whose back was to the class while writing something on the whiteboard.

Sensing that there was something terribly wrong, Tara hurriedly packed her belongings into her backpack and, a minute later, stood up from her seat and walked towards the door. Her shoes squeaked on the floor, the sound making the professor turn towards her, leading to a quick apology from Tara before she opened the door and rushed out into the hallway. The grip on her chest tightening, she stopped running and placed her hand on the wall while grabbing her chest with the other hand.

Tara closed her eyes and saw flashes of white light, and in between those flashes she saw Colonel Sheppard slumped against a wall, and being placed on a stretcher with Teyla and Giles, who was holding onto a distraught Dawn, looking on. A tear went down Tara's face when she saw her brothers badly injured, as were Buffy, Ronan, Mackay, and the others… and then she 'saw' paramedics place a white sheet over Rose before placing her on another stretcher. Gasping from the vision, Tara opened her eyes and then started to run.

'The.. the bad feeling in my chest,' she thought to herself as she rushed out of the building and ran to an adjacent one where Willow was having her class, 'it… it's from John.. John being injured and… goddess, please watch over them. Please.'

Tara rushed into the adjacent building while wiping her eyes, and then made a left into a hallway. She ran to the third door and then opened it slightly. She peeked inside, and apologized to the professor who was teaching the small class of students who were seated in an U-shape around the whiteboard. She then turned to Willow who was looking back at her with her eyes narrowed in confusion, and it was a second later that the redhead noticed her girlfriend's red eyes.

Willow nodded at Tara, who then rushed to a payphone nearby, before packing all her belongings and telling her professor that something urgent had come up.

"I.. I'll email you," said Willow with a nervous smile and nodding head before she rushed out of the room to find Tara dialling a number on a nearby phone. She rushed to Tara, and placed her hand on the blonde witch's shoulder just as the call connected.

"I… ummm… hi, my name is Tara Maclay and I need to talk to General Landry," Tara said as she looked at Willow, who was looking back at her with worry on her face. Tara then looked back at the phone when General Landry came on the line, "General, this is Tara… ummm… John Sheppard's sister."

"Miss Sheppard," said the General as the klaxon's started to blare at the SGC, with Walter's voice coming over the speakers saying that there was a scheduled dial in. The General tuned that sound out, and concentrated on Tara, "how can I help you?"

"I.. I just had a vision that John, Buffy, and the others who went to the school were badly injured.. is… is that true?" Tara asked while Willow looked on with eyes wide open in shock. She watched as Tara nodded her head, and knew from Tara's voice that whatever had happened to Buffy and the others was bad. The redhead moved her head from Tara's shoulder, to grasping the blonde's hand before she put the phone on the cradle, and then turned to face her.

"Baby? What happened to John? Buffy? Xander?" asked Willow as she tightened her hand around Tara's.

"I.. I had a vision that.. that they were badly injured and… and General Landry con-confirmed it," Tara stuttered while she was trying her best to to cry, "we… we're going to be picked up… and… and…"

"They're taking us to see them?" asked Willow.

"Yea," said Tara nodding her head while recalling the surprise in the Generals voice when he learned that Tara had a vision of the aftermath of events in the room in the school's basement, "we.. we.. need to go."

"They'll be alright, John and Buffy will be alright," said Willow before kissing Tara on the cheek, and then looking into her eyes, "let's go."

"Let.. let's… let's go," said Tara before the two of them ran out of the building.

TBC.

 


	60. Chapter 60

**Sunnydale Army Base, twenty minutes later.**

Buffy had flashes of white light around her with images of Dawn, Joyce, her father, and several others around her. She found herself standing on a green grassed hill looking ut into the distance at rolling hiss as far as the eyes can see. The last thing she remembered was Giles running towards her before her eyes closed, and then she saw Dawn and her mother while standing on the lawn of her home before turning around to kiss Colonel Sheppard.

And now she opened her eyes to find herself lying on her side, on damp grass. She slowly pushed herself to her feet while looking around at her surroundings, her muscles tensing... about to lash out and protect herself in case this was all a trick. Once she got to her feet, she relaxed while wondering where she was… she didn't recognize her surroundings, but she felt as if there was someone looking at her.

She didn't know where from, though.

"Buffy." The blonde Slayer spun around, her arms up and ready to fight when she suddenly lowered her guard, and her eyes opened wide to the dark haired young woman in front of her.

"Rose?" asked Buffy as she took a step forward, "are.. are you alive? Wait, I… I saw you die so, does this mean that I'm dead? Or…"

"My essence was required to reinforce the seal," Rose said as she tilted her head at Buffy, "it had already been weakened by the resurgence of the First, and it would have sent its demons through to the surface and taken over the world. Sineya said that it was destiny I come here; a sacrifice to strengthen the seal over the mouth of Hell."

"It shouldn't have been like this," said Buffy.

"It was destiny, although my mother would likely tell me that destiny does not exist… we make our own fate as we choose."

"You mean Athena," said Buffy as Rose nodded her head, "you said that the power of your brothers and sisters run through me and Faith, what did you mean?"

"There will be a time for answers," said Rose as she started to fade, "just know that you have more friends to protect the ones who need you and Faith the most. You have to protect the Potentials."

"We will," said Buffy.

"Now, you must awaken, Buffy, do not remain facing the darkness… you must leave and awake," Rose said just before she vanished. Buffy covered her eyes when there was a flash of bright white light, and felt herself lying down on a very soft surface. She opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming through her blinds that covered her window. She raised her head and looked around and found that she was in her room. It was then that she felt the arm around her hips. Narrowing her eyes, Buffy slowly looked over her shoulder at Colonel Sheppard sleeping behind her.. his arm gently wrapped around her waist. Buffy slightly lifted her blanket, and peeked at her nude body before looking away with her eyes wide open and placing her blanket over her again. Buffy lay back down and tried to remember what happened… she thought to herself that she should have woken up at the hospital after her injuries… not in bed with a man she had just kissed.

'No, that was just a dream,' thought Buffy to herself as she lay down on her side, her mind trying to sift through what happened. It was then that she felt a stir, and the arm tightening around her right hip. Buffy's eyes were wide open when she felt movement on bed from behind her, followed by lips kissing her shoulder and upper-right back.

"You're up early," whispered the Colonel as he shimmied towards Buffy, and whispered into her ear, "you're not supposed to be working today, remember. Get more sleep… we had a rough night last night."

"I don't remember," whispered Buffy as she lay on her back, the blanket still covering her, and looked up at the Colonel's face, "what happened? Why are we…. I mean…"

"I came back from Atlantis, you came back from work," said the Colonel, "and then we… well… had a real rough night."

"Wait… huh?" asked a confused Buffy, "I met you after work? What about the attack in the basement? You were injured, I was injured… and…."

"You've been having the same dream for the past few months, Buffy," said the Colonel as he looked down at the blonde, "it's just stress. That's why I came back so soon… you remember? I surprised you yesterday?"

"What?" asked Buffy.

"Dawn and the others were there," said the Colonel, "on the lawn? Your mom was there?"

"Mom?" asked Buffy as she rubbed the side of her forehead while hearing voices in the distance, one of which was clearly calling out for her in the cacophony of other voices.

"Buffy!" The blonde Slayer heard Dawn's voice in the distance while Colonel Sheppard was caressing her face, his fingers tracing a pattern on her cheeks and the side of her neck. Buffy shook her head while saying that this was all a dream, that nothing was real.

"This is all real, Buffy," whispered the Colonel when the smell of pancakes wafted into the room. Buffy then heard more voices in the distance, particularly Dawn's voice, screaming for her, with another voice resembling Teyla's saying that they needed to wait.

"Fight, Buffy! Fight!"

"Come, Dawn," Buffy heard Teyla repeat, "we must let them do their jobs. She will come back."

"Dawn?" said Buffy as she looked at her ceiling, and then at the Colonel looking down at her. She was about to get up when the Colonel leaned down and kissed her. Buffy was pushed back down onto the bed while the Colonel's fingers brushed her shoulder, and she ran her hand through the Colonel's hair, deepening the kiss. She felt free after nearly eight years of being the Slayer, she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders and chest while a sense of warmth went through her while she kissed the Colonel. However, she couldn't help but notice the chill that continued to go up her spine while she heard beeping sounds in the distance.

"We're losing her!" said a calm voice that she didn't recognize.

Buffy continued to kiss the Colonel whose fingers on his right hand brushed against her arm, while his left hand held onto the back of Buffy's head. Buffy heard the beeping in the distance increase when the smell of pancakes in the air got stronger, and the door to her room opened.

"Ah, there you are, honey," said Joyce as Buffy pushed the Colonel off her, and made sure she was still covered while her eyes widened as she sat up. She saw her mother, wearing the same clothes she wore the day she died, carrying a stack of pancakes on a plate with Dawn following close behind her with bottled syrup in her hands.

"Dawn?" asked Buffy as she looked at her sister, who was standing next to Joyce with a smile on her face. Buffy then turned to an embarrassed Colonel who reached back and used a pillow to cover himself, even with the blanket over him. Buffy's face become red in embarrassment before she turned to Dawn and Joyce again. She looked at her mother, and knew something was off… but she didn't know what. She remembered Joyce being there the day she nearly died from Warren's bullet, she remembered Joyce being there the day Anya died; she was the one comforting Xander.

"Mom?" asked Buffy shaking her head, "no… you.. you are dead."

"Am I?" asked Joyce.

"I… I remember…." Said a confused Buffy who was shaking her head while listening to a distant beeping.

"So… I'm gonna be an aunt? Or something?" said Dawn.

"Dawn!" yelled Buffy.

"When do I become a grandma?" teased Joyce as she lifted the plate of pancakes towards Buffy and the Colonel.

"Mother!" yelled Buffy as she looked at Joyce. And then she had a pain in her chest just before lights flared and she found herself looking at a man in a surgical mask speaking to another woman in a surgical mask, with a bright light hanging over here.

"We're losing her… pressure dropping! Doctor?"

There was another flash of light before Buffy found herself back on the bed while she heard the same long beeping sound in the distance. Buffy shook her head while rubbing her chest, and then looked straight at Joyce. Her heart leapt at the sight of her mother, but a part of Buffy knew that there was something wrong… she felt it; no matter how real having her mother in front of her felt.

"I… I have to get…"

"Stay," said Joyce as she put the plate down on Buffy's desk and then sat down next to her daughter, "we're a family here, Buffy."

"No.. wait, this is a dream, no… no…," Buffy shook her head while rubbing the sides of her head at a sting on her chest.

"Not if you don't want it to be," said the Colonel as he turned towards Buffy who snapped her head towards him, the man confirming a suspicion… that this wasn't a dream, that the chill going up and down her spine meant that there was something very wrong, "think about it. There is no pain, no sorrow, no hate, no anger. You'll forever be happy, Buffy."

"Where am I?" asked Buffy as she got off the bed. At that moment, just after getting off the bed, the Slayer remembered she was nude, so she reached down and grabbed the blanket which she then wrapped around herself before repeating her question, "where am I?"

"Heaven," said Joyce softly, "with me, Dawn, and John. The story about the dream was to just make you ease into the transition, Buffy."

"No," Buffy said shaking her head.

"You died in the basement of the school," said Joyce, "along with John. Dawn went to search for you after the attack, and she was killed too."

"No… no," Buffy shook her head, "Rose said that she sealed the hole and…"

"I'm here, Buffy," said Dawn as she walked towards the bed, "we're all going to be together as a family."

"Come on, Miss Summers," said another voice in the distance when Buffy felt another sting on her chest, "we heard your sister scream that she was going to beat us all up if we don't bring you back healthy, and we have no intension of getting bruised. So fight."

"This isn't real," said Buffy as she looked at her mother, tears gathering in her eyes at the thought of losing Joyce once again.

"This is real, honey," said Joyce, "don't you remember you saw me in heaven the last time you were here?"

"No," said Buffy as she narrowed her eye upon hearing what her mother just said, "I remember Heaven.. I remember everything. And you weren't there."

"Honey," said Joyce as she titled her head and smiled while Colonel Sheppard got out of bed, and put on some pants, "you don't remember."

"Who are you?" asked Buffy as she held her blanket close to her body.

"Your mother, honey," said Joyce as the Colonel walked up to Joyce and stood next to her, "we're together again, Buffy. All of us… you, me, Dawn, and John… you love us."

"So stay with us," said Colonel Sheppard as Dawn smiled at Buffy while walking up to, and then standing next to the Colonel, "this is our home, Buffy. There's a part of you that wants to stay with us… the others don't need you. They've got Faith to lead them now, they don't need you."

"Dawn needs me," hissed Buffy.

"I'm Dawn, Buffy. And I need you with me.. I died getting to you. Are you going to leave me alone here, and…"

"No," said Buffy shaking her head, "I… I need to leave."

"Stay," said Joyce as her eyes turned black, while Buffy's eyes went wide.

Back in the Army base, Teyla was holding onto Dawn while they were waiting in the hallway outside the operating room where Buffy was takin into. The others were being operated on as well, but Buffy was hit much harder than the others.. and was on the verge of death when she was brought to the Army base medical unit. It was almost immediately that Buffy's body started to give out on her with Dawn and Teyla looking through the window into the operating theatre. Dawn had screamed for Buffy to fight, but was calmed down by Teyla after the brunette threatened the doctor that she would personally beat all of them up.

With Giles gone to meet Tara and Willow who had just arrived at the base, Dawn and Teyla could only wait and see… the older woman holding onto Dawn's shoulders as tears gathered in her eyes when Buffy flat-lined. The doctors used a defibrillator on her just as Tara and Willow arrived with Giles. The older man looked at Teyla, who sadly shook her head before he snapped his head to the window where the doctors were performing compressions on her chest which the defibrillator charged.

"Buffy" whispered Giles.

"Willow," said Tara as she looked out at Buffy's still body while holding onto Dawn, "do you feel that?"

"What is it?" asked Teyla as Willow looked at Tara, and nodded her head.

"A spell," said Willow as she and Tara looked out the window, "it…. It's like she being pulled away. Held back by something or…."

"Can you stop it?" asked Dawn looking at Willow and then at Tara.

"It's too late," said Tara shaking her head, "at least for a counter-spell, Buffy has to be the one to break it from the inside, and…"

"What is it?" asked Teyla.

"Like a dream," said Tara, who felt the effects of the spell crawling up her skin, while Willow nodded her head, "whatever she's dreaming about is keeping her in that dream… making her not want to leave it. We can't stop it, but we can reach Buffy… or at least her soul. Her aura's still there… but it has weakened considerably. The only way I think this spell worked is because she's near death. We need to reach out to her, and convince her to fight… for spells like this, there is always an exit. It could be anything."

"Then get her back, Tara, Willow," begged Dawn.

Willow and Tara held their hands to combine their magic to break through the magic that was affecting Buffy. The two of them closed their eyes with the flat beep from the heart monitor in the back of their head.

"Buffy!" yelled Willow when they opened their eyes and found themselves in the foyer of the Summers home, "Buffy!"

"Willow!" yelled Buffy as a door on the second floor fell with a thud, followed by a badly beaten Buffy, who was laying on top of the door. She looked up in and saw the sneering demonic forms of who had once been Colonel Sheppard, Dawn, and Joyce before she stumbled to her feet and ran down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Tara, Willow!" exclaimed Buffy in her blanket as she rushed down the stairs with the demons following behind her, "what's going on?"

"Spell," said Willow as she and Tara used their magic to push back the demons to the top of the stairs, "can't you slay these things? And… wait, are they Joyce, Dawn, and John?"

"First, I'm in a blanket and I'm naked underneath," said Buffy as she tore of a piece of the banister with one hand while holding the blanket with the other hand. She noticed Tara and Willow looking at each other, and then at Buffy who rolled her eyes as the demons started to get up, "second, I though they were John, mom, and Dawn too…. And it's kinda hard to kill them while they look like them And Third, please tell me you have a way out of here."

The demons howled as the three women as they shed their human forms and became large blue skinned monsters with three eyes, claws, and rows upon rows of sharp teeth in their mouths.

"Ewww," said Buffy looking at the mouths, "John kissed me with that."

"Wait, what?" asked Tara as she raised an eyebrow at Buffy, "you kissed John? When, and… wait… huh?"

"Nothing," squeaked Buffy as the demons screamed at them before preparing to jump.

"How the heck do we get out," asked Buffy changing topics as the demons jumped towards them. Buffy was prepared to make a move but the demons where pushed back by Tara and Willow once again. The redhead was telling Buffy that they needed to search for an exit as the demons started to get up, "any idea?"

"We can get out," said Willow, "but you need to want to get out."

"Oh, trust me I want to get out so bad," yelled Buffy as the demons crouched down again at the top of the stairs, ready to pounce on the three women again. Tara looked over her shoulder as a warmth went up her spine, and noticed a white glow around the edges of the front door. She then looked at Buffy, blinked, and then back at the front door over her shoulder.

"They're coming again," yelled Willow.

"Can it be that obvious?" asked Tara as she grabbed Buffy's shoulder, and pushed her towards the door. Everything was in slow motion at the demons jumped, and Tara grabbed Willow while yelling at Buffy to leave through the front door. Without hesitation, Buffy pulled on the door, and then looked over her shoulder at the vanishing pair of witches just before the claws of demons ripped through them. Buffy then jumped out the door into a bright white light, and then she heard the beeping sound again as she opened her eyes slowly to a doctor looking back at her while holding some paddles.

"Her heartbeat's steady, doctor," said another voice as Buffy, her body aching, turned her head slowly and looked at Dawn, Teyla, Willow and Tara through the window along with the blood bag that had been pumping blood into her to compensate for the blood loos. Buffy gave a small smile before closing her eyes again.

"You are like a cockroach," said a voice as Buffy opened her eyes again and looked at the First with her heavy eye-lids, "my Bringers nearly took you down. With the queen dead, her subjects will lose faith and die. At least that's what should have been."

"Will…. Win," muttered Buffy before closing her eyes out of exhaustion.

"Your time will come, Buffy," said the First who was unseen by everyone, "and when it does, I will suck the marrow off your bones while your precious Scoobies are being tortured. This world, this galaxy will be mine. First goes the Slayers, and then everything else. See you soon."

TBC

 


	61. Chapter 61

**Sunnydale Army Base, a few hours later.**

Tara was sitting next to Colonel Sheppard's bed, the machines that were attached to his chest and hands beeping softly while she had her eyes closed. Her head lay on the edge of the bed while holding on tight to his hand. In the meantime, Willow, Giles and Dawn were with Buffy who had been sleeping for the two hours since she flat lined, and then recovered; she was expected to make to make a full recovery. Anya was staying by Xander's side while Ronan and Mackay were being watched over by Teyla. The Athosian woman was softly talking on the phone with General Landry at the SGC, telling the stunned General that Rose was dead and that her body was being prepared so that it could be sent back to Peterson Airbase and then to the SGC.

"Will you be informing Dr. Weir about Rose, General?" asked Teyla who remembered identifying Rose's pale body when she arrived at the base morgue.

"I'll have the Daedalus relay a subspace transmission to Atlantis," the General replied, a frown developing on his face at the thought of losing one of their best people, "in the meantime, Teyla, you're in command of AR-1 until Colonel Sheppard regains consciousness."

"I understand, General," she replied before heading out of the room while the General told her that Homework Security found a compound that they could use as a command center and training area. While walking towards Buffy's room, General Landry told Teyla over the phone that there would be an officer from Homeworld Security, Major Paul Davis, arriving in a few hours to take her, Giles, and Faith to the new compound. Upon reaching the door to Buffy's room, the General disconnected the call and then Teyla walked into the room and then over to Buffy's bedside. She nodded her head at Giles, Willow, and Dawn before asking how the blonde Slayer was doing.

"She opened her eyes a few times," whispered Dawn as she looked down at the unconscious Buffy, "I think she wanted to see if we were still here."

"And we're still here," added Giles leaning down towards his Slayer before looking back up at Teyla, "she's exhausted. And I take it that the others are out of danger?"

"The blood transfusions were lifesaving," Teyla nodded her head, "but Rose… Rose will be sent to Colorado Springs very soon."

"We're sorry about Rose," said Giles while Teyla looked at Buffy and nodded her head while remembering the young woman's infectious smile. Getting herself out of those thoughts. Teyla shook her head before saying that Rose's body would be sent back to Atlantis on the Daedalus after it returns to Earth orbit. Teyla then told Giles that he and Faith would be accompanying her to the compound that had been acquired by Homeworld Security in an hour. After answering some of Giles' questions, Teyla nodded her head at the others before leaving for Colonel Sheppard's room where Tara was seated holding his hand. Teyla gently opened the door to find the young witch's head laying on the bed, her hand tightly in Colonel Sheppard's. Teyla smiled at the sight, and then backtracked out of the room to let Tara sleep for a little while longer.

It would be later that night, when Teyla, Faith, Wesley, and Giles left to see the compound that Colonel Sheppard slowly opened his eyes to find Tara sleeping with her head on his bed. He blinked as a smiled formed on his lips while gently squeezing Tara's hand and softly, thanks to a very dry throat, calling for his sister. Heading his voice, Tara stirred and mumbled incoherently when she felt Colonel Sheppard squeezing her hand gently again, and quickly opened her eyes in surprise before looking up at slightly groggy eyes looking back at her. Tara quickly stood up and leaned over the Colonel while rubbing his hair and asking if he remembered what happened.

"Yea," was the reply before the Colonel coughed and mumbled that his throat was dry. Tara quickly pressed a button to call for a nurse before rushing to the table on the other side of the bed. She then began pouring some water into a cup containing a straw. She then placed one end of the straw on his lips and gently asked him to take a sip. Tara watched as the Colonel took a sip just as the door to the room opened and a doctor followed by a nurse walked in to examine Colonel Sheppard.

"Colonel," said the doctor while the nurse walked to the other side of the bed and started taking some of his vitals down on a pad, "you're at the Sunnydale Army Base infirmary. You were badly injured, along with a few of your colleagues who have already woken up an hour ago.

"Buffy and the others are up? Are they alright?" asked Tara as she looked at the doctor.

"Yes, Miss Maclay," said the doctor, "you were asleep, so the younger Miss Summers didn't want to bother you."

"How about the rest of my team?" asked the Colonel as he looked at the doctor.

"They're awake," the doctor said while the nurse headed out after placing a clipboard with pieces on paper on a container hanging from the door, "but all of you will be kept here for observation until tomorrow. Miss Emmagen has taken some of her friends out of the base to an undisclosed location, she will be returning soon."

"Ok," the Colonel nodding his head. However, he stopped when he groaned on the pillow before saying that he was feeling very dizzy.

"It's going to take some time to fully recover, John," said Tara, "you lost a lot of blood."

"You did," said the doctor, "and that's why you and the others are going to be our guests."

"Yippee," said the Colonel while Tara chuckled. The doctor then left, but not before saying that he'll make sure that the Colonel and the others get something to eat in a few minutes. Once the man was out of the room, Tara turned to face her smiling brother who was saying that it was so great to see her. The blonde witch suddenly frowned and then slapped his arm before raining an eyebrow at the Colonel.

"What did you think you were doing heading out there without any weapons, John?" asked Tara.

"Technically we didn't think we'd need any weapons, Tara," said the Colonel, "we were heading to the basement in the day time, how could we have known that it was a trap? I guess it could have been worse though, we could all be dead."

"John," said Tara before she pursed her lips.

"I know it wasn't the right thing to say," the Colonel replied shaking his head. However, he groaned again and stopped while Tara stroked the man's hair. The Colonel looked into the worry in Tara's eyes and said, "I'm sorry. We could have carried Zats, then we could have beaten the vampires. But given that we're still alive, I take it that Rose saved us, and…"

"John," Tara shook her head. It was the look the young woman gave Colonel Sheppard that got the man realizing that something had gone very, very wrong. Colonel Sheppard was about to speak when Tara lay a hand on his shoulder and whispered that Rose was dead. The Colonel looked at Tara with eyes wide open at the thought of the young woman dying under his command. The doctor told the man, while Tara tightened her hold on the Colonel's hand, that Rose was drained of all her blood and that she had bites all over her body.

"But she fought until the end," said Tara gently as the Colonel closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"That's what she was supposed to do," he whispered as he looked down at the bedsheet, "she was supposed to fight."

"Doctor," said Tara as she looked up, "could I talk to my brother alone?"

"Of course," he replied before telling Colonel Sheppard that he'll be up and about by the next day. Before he left, the doctor also said that he'll have supper sent for him so that he could start regaining his strength. Tara nodded her head as the doctor left the room, closing the door behind him and then sat down next to the Colonel. Holding his hand now with both her hands, Tara gently told the Colonel that what happened wasn't his fault; that he had no idea that demons could be coming out in the day.

"Even I had no clue something like this could happen, John," said Tara as she lay her head on his shoulder, "vampires don't attack in the day since… well, they don't go out in sunlight. And... and there was no way to know that there would be any super-vamps beneath the school. It's no one's fault, John."

"I know," he whispered, "it sucks to lose people under your command, Tara."

"I can't imagine how you must be feeling," Tara said squeezing the Colonel's hand.

"But Rose was still a kid to me," he whispered as he lay his head-on top of Tara's while he sighed, "we need to be prepared Tara. We really need to be prepared."

"Willow and I have a plan," she whispered, "I'll tell you and the others once everyone's back on their feet. In the meantime, I'm gonna be staying with you… if that's okay."

"Yes," the Colonel said before he kissed the top of Tara's head, and then lay the side of his head on the top of hers. All the while he was thinking about Rose before mentally apologizing to the young clone. The last thing he remembered before closing his eyes were the smile on Rose's face as she ate ice-cream with Buffy, Willow the first day they arrived in Sunnydale.

**Outskirts of Sunnydale, ten minutes away from Kingmans Bluff.**

"It's a nice place," said Faith after she whistled once she got out of the Humvee with Giles, Teyla, and Willow. They were standing outside a large two story mansion that was surrounded by walls seven feet high, an electronic, heavy steel gate at the entrance, and several people attaching security camera's to various locations along the wall.

"Mr. Giles," said Major Davis as he walked up to the older man, "welcome to your new safe house."

"Sweet," said Faith as she looked around at the work going on, and then turning to the Major. She asked about the compound and if they were going to get cable.

"Ah yes," said Giles sarcastically while Willow chuckled, "the ever present need for pay-per-view. The world is ending, and we'll watch…"

"Take it easy, G," said Faith patting the older man's shoulder while he rolled his eyes, "I was just kidding. Although, cable would really be appreciated considering you'll be getting one girl after another staying here for protection."

"Any idea when we'll be getting any new Potentials?" asked the Major while personnel from the Sunnydale Army base and the SGC were running around completing as much work as they could before it got really dark. The Major knew that they were preparing a security system similar to the layout in the Summers home while listening to Giles and Willow saying that they got a call from the Devon Coven redirected to the Army Base. Willow said that a powerful seer from the Coven told them that they could expect one later that night at the bus terminal, while another three were arriving via plane landing at the airport.

"You can expect another two later in the week," said Giles.

"So, six potentials this week alone," said the Major nodding his head.

"Hope you got enough room in there," asked Faith while Willow looked around. She wanted to get an overview of the place before she and Tara could come up with a solid magical defence against the bringers and the Turok-han. Major Davis told Faith that they should have enough space, and that the potentials could double up with each other if they wished.

"There are six large bed-rooms, a large front and back yard for training, a swimming pool, there will be a gym in the basement, an armoury; then you have the usual creature comforts, a kitchen, two living rooms, dining room, and… yeah. Trust me, we got this at a discount."

Giles, Faith and Willow listened to the Major in surprise before looking around and then looking back at him with confusion on their faces.

"Major," said Giles, "you make it sound as if this is going to be permanent… a permanent base of operations."

"You'll be getting a call from General O'Neill soon," said t he Major as Giles titled his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion, "he'd like you, Miss Summers, and the others to form an organization that would be ready to go up against any supernatural threats against this planet."

"Like the Council?" asked Faith.

"All we know for sure is that the new agency you form will have civilian oversight," said Major Davis, "and it would be comprised of civilian and military personnel with funding coming from… let's just say 'adaptable sources'."

"But.. okay… I…"

"Everything's up in the air waiting for your input," said the Major looking at Willow, "but this compound will be your base of operations for now. As for the agency? Well, this just means you guys will have to do everything you could to save the world if you want to help set it up."

"I…" said Faith surprised.

"And I've been told that all of you are really good at that… saving the world," said the Major before asking if they'd like a tour of their new base.

"Yes, please," said an excited Willow while Giles looked at the compound, and then back at the Major before nodding his head.

**Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy.**

Dr. Weir sighed, leaning back on her sear after being debriefed by General Landry through subspace. The Daedalus, which received the news about Rose's death, turned back to the edge of the Milky Way and relayed the subspace message through to Atlantis thanks to the resident Asgard on board, Hermiod, performing some 'magic' to extend the range of the subspace communication systems. Once the message was sent, the Daedalus which sat in the void between the galaxies, came about and then opened a hyperspace window back into the Milky Way.

Frowning, Dr. Weir was initially stunned at hearing that not only were her elite AR-1 team out for the count, she was also stunned by Rose's death at the hands of several vampires. General Landry told her that Rose's body was drained of blood, and the others were close to death when they were found. She told him that she'd let the others know of what happened to Rose.

"Too bad the gate bridge hadn't been completed yet," Dr. Weir whispered to herself before shaking her head and thinking about what to say to the others; especially to Rose's brothers and sister. Dr. Weir slowly got off her seat and walked out of her office. She had the technician contact the teams where the clones were assigned and asked them to return to Atlantis for a debriefing. She then walked back to her office while the young technician dialled the relevant addresses and had the clones come in for a debriefing.

It would be several minutes later that the remaining clones, the living weapons that Athena had designed, walked into Dr. Weir's office after having returned their weapons to the S.F's at the foot of the central staircase. She asked them to take a seat, and then sat at the edge of her table. Dr. Weir took in a deep breath, and then told the stunned clones… the stunned people in front of her, that Rose had died.

"I know all of you have diplomatic missions today," said Dr. Weir at the people in front of her. Dr. Weir remembered how the young woman used to follow her around eager to learn, and how protective Rose was of her. Dr. Weir continued to say that she wanted them to take the rest of the time off and remember Rose in their own way, "just as I will be remembering her in my own way. She like to visit the hydroponics bay and smell the roses, all twelve varieties. I know it's not much but that's what I feel I should do to remember her."

"Will her body be returned to Atlantis?"

"Yes," answered Dr. Weir, "we'll give her a proper burial, Samuel."

It was a few minutes later that Dr. Weir was left alone with her thoughts about Rose. The clones headed for their quarters while holding onto their last sister who had tears in her eyes. As they walked down the stairs, Dr. Weir walked out of her office again and relayed a message to the entire city. She told the stunned residents, who had come to see the clones as members of their family, that Rose had died a hero in the defence of her team.

"And she would be remembered by all she fought for before falling to her final sleep," said Dr. Weir, "that I can promise."

 TBC


	62. Chapter 62

**Slayer Compound, 2230 hours.**

While Tara was placing bags filled with magical ingredients in each corner of the walled compound with Willow, her mind drifted back to her brother who was still placed under observation at the Sunnydale Army Base. It was he was told Tara to head to the compound so that she and Willow could use their magic to create a barrier that would temporarily prevent bringers or Turok-han from getting through. She was reluctant to leave, at least until the bandaged Ronan, and Mackay arrived followed by the still injured Xander. Buffy was staying close to Dawn for the time being, and Tara wasn't sure if she was staying with Xander, Colonel Sheppard and the others now.

**The Sunnydale Army Base infirmary, an hour ago.**

"Tara," Buffy said as the witch sat next to her while a car was waiting for her outside, "the dream I was in.. the one where you and Willow rescued me? what was it?"

"It was something meant to keep you… and I mean your soul, away from your body," said Tara, "it's a very powerful spell that works on those who are on the verge of death by pulling their souls away from they already weakened body. The spell is supposed to give you everything you want so that your soul doesn't return to the body. Instead, it stays in a place of temporary bliss until your body dies… and then when it dies, your soul is trapped in that place. It becomes a hell."

"So did I die?" asked Buffy looking at Tara, "did I die? I heard voices while I was in that other place. I heard telling Dawn everything would be okay, and I heard the doctor say that he was losing me."

"Buffy," said Tara holding her hand, "you flat-lined. But now, you're going to be fine. It was just like a bad dream and…"

"It showed me what I wanted?" asked Buffy at Tara.

"That's what it's supposed to do," said Tara narrowing her eyes, "but that's over, Buffy. Giles, Willow, and I think that the First used some witches to pull your soul away from your near dead body, and trap you in that zone."

"The demons?" asked Buffy.

"I think they either showed their true selves because you died, or because it was a defence mechanism against Willow and me getting into that zone," Tara said nodding her head, "either way, whoever it was that set up the zone didn't expect us. Or at least I think so."

"It was weird," said Buffy rubbing her forehead, "I… I also saw Rose, Tara."

"Rose?" asked Tara, "you mean…"

"The one who died," said Buffy, "I saw her."

Buffy then explained what Rose had told her when she was unconscious, that her essence was needed to reinforce the seal which had already been weakened, and that Sineya told her that she was destined to return to Earth so that she could be used as a sacrifice to strengthen the seal. Tara nodded her head after Buffy was finished talking and told her that Giles had already started on going through some his book, most of which were being transferred from his home and storage area to the Slayer Compound. And with the internet already working, Fred and Wesley were already going through the video from the camera so that they could identify the markings on the 'manhole' cover and figure out its true purpose.

"Does Giles know about what Rose told you?" asked Tara.

"I can't tell him," whispered Buffy shaking his head, "at least not yet… not until I get my head back on straight. Tara…. It was so real."

"But you fought it and… well, I wanted to ask you why John was in your dream?" asked Tara as Buffy hung her head and groaned while wiping her face with both hands. Tara gave a small smile as she saw the Slayer's aura flare a little in embarrassment before she looked away and hopped off the bed, "do you like him?"

"I…"

"I mean, do you want him?" asked Tara with an eyebrow arched up and her hand on her hip with a smile on her face, "Buffy?"

"No… he just popped into my head because… you know… he was right there and…"

"Then why wasn't Ronan or Rodney there?" asked a chuckling Tara as Buffy's face went red. Deciding to stop, Tara placed her hands in Buffy's shoulders and told the blonde Slayer that she could sense how she felt about her brother… that she was attracted to him. Buffy shook her head for a second before deciding that it was useless to lie to someone who could read aura's, and so she sighed and said that it was a distraction.

"Because of the whole First thing." Tara said with a serious look as Buffy nodded her head.

"Potential Slayers are in danger," said Buffy, "Faith and I are gonna be in danger, and…"

"And all of you have us," said Tara as she leaned in to hug Buffy. The Slayer tightened her hold on the blonde and nodded her head. "I understand if you want to take it slow. But he's here right now; and I know he'll be protecting us while you protect everyone. In the meantime, maybe you should head over to his room and.. I mean everyone's there."

"Maybe later," Buffy whispered as they parted, "the dream was… well… intense."

"Okay," squeaked Tara understanding what Buffy meant, "I don't wanna hear any more."

Buffy chuckled as Dawn slipped back into the room. She said that her bags were already in the car awaiting car. The blonde Slayer waved Dawn over and hugged her tight while glancing at Tara. Buffy then closed her eyes again while placing her chin on Dawn's shoulder and whispering, "stay on the compound, alright?"

"I will," she said.

"But this doesn't mean you don't get to school tomorrow," said Buffy parting and then looking into her sister's eyes.

"Aaawww," whined Dawn.

"No," Buffy said shaking her head while pointing at her younger sister, "you school, and I should be fully recovered by tomorrow so I'll be joining you after I check on the new place in the morning."

"Willow and I are going to be placing a magical barrier that would, hopefully, keep out the Bringers and the Turok-han," Tara added, "so all of us are going to be safe."

"Safer than the house, at least," said Buffy holding onto Dawn's hands.

"I get the room next to John's. or Ronan's," said Dawn excitedly, "the both of them are…"

"Don't say it," exclaimed both Tara and Buffy while Dawn giggled before leaving the room after saying goodbye to her sister again. With Tara and Buffy alone in the room after Dawn left, closing the door behind her, the witch told Buffy that Willow claimed all of the rooms were big enough to fit in five adults comfortably.

"You and Dawn can take a room," said Tara before a smirk appeared on her face before saying, "or you could… you know… take a room with…"

"Maybe I will," said Buffy as the smile vanished from Tara's face, and a smile appeared on Buffy's face along with a twinkle in her eye, "maybe I'll have John as my roommate and we'll…"

"I was kidding, I was kidding," said Tara as she covered Buffy's mouth with her hand, "just kidding. I don't need any nightmares."

Buffy nodded her head and Tara removed her hand revealing Buffy's smile. The blonde Slayer said that she'd like to share a room with her, Willow, and Dawn. That it should just be the four of them while the other potentials took the others rooms. Tara agreed before saying that Willow reported the military had tents and portable mattresses that could be deployed in the large yard all around the compound in case of emergencies.

"Yea, I don't see that happening," Buffy said shaking her head before Teyla arrived at the door. She told Buffy and Tara that it was time to go, and that they'll be returning the next day to pick up Buffy, Colonel Sheppard, and the other injured. The blonde Slayer nodded her head at Teyla before turning to Tara and holding her hands. "Don't tell anyone about… you know."

"I won't," Tara replied silently promising not to tell anyone, especially her brother, about Buffy's burgeoning feelings. Tara kissed her forehead and then left the room with Teyla passing Xander who was hobbling to Buffy's door. The blonde witch asked Xander to stay with Buffy.

"Oh, I'm going to be taking her to John's room," said Xander, "Ronan and Dr. MacKay don't believe anything I've said about the child of the Hellmouth."

"Good luck," said Tara patting his beck as they walked past. In the meantime, Teyla was looking at Tara before asking about the child of the Hellmouth. Tara chuckled before telling Teyla about the story Willow told her about the Sisterhood of Jhe, and their mission to open the Hellmouth. She told the stunned Teyla as they got into one of the two cars… the other one carrying the Potential Slayers… about how Willow, Buffy, Giles, and Oz stopped the so-called 'child of the Hellmouth' from exiting the Hellmouth and releasing hordes of demons.

"Interesting," said Teyla once Tara finished her story. Her blood froze as she recalled Tara's description of the creature, and hope that she herself would never have to set her eyes on it.

**Slayer Compound, now.**

Tara and Willow finished placing the spell bags around the compound and watch as a flash of orange energy circled around while Willow talked into her walkie-talkie, telling everyone that the flash of light was nothing dangerous, that everything was alright. Tara looked at her girlfriend as she clipped the walkie on her belt after signing off, and a smile formed on her face.

"What?" asked Willow with a smile as she brushed her hair off her eyes.

"Have I ever said that the way you hold a radio is very sexy?" asked Tara as she walked towards Willow and pulled her closer until their noses were touching. With there being a half moon in the starry lit sky overhead, Willow and Tara stared at each other before giving each other a kiss in the backyard while light shone from the various rooms in the compound. The SGC and the Army personnel were nearly done with the security system; Giles, Xander, Wesley, and the military personnel were armed with the Zats. Lorne refused, instead heading off to the bar where he called on everyone to join him once they were done with work. The Potential Slayers were watching television, while Spike, Faith and Fred were pouring through books in the basement on the identity of the 'manhole' in the school basement. It would be thirty minutes later that one group of military personnel with Faith and Xander, and another one with Giles and Wesley would be heading for the bus station and airport respectively to pick up the coming Slayers.

In the meantime, Willow parted lips form Tara and they looked at each other.

"I love you, you know that, right?" asked Tara.

"I know," said Willow with a smile before leaning in to kiss Tara again after a job well done. She parted again while her arms were around Tara's waist and asked if she decided on their room. Tara chuckled before saying that they could share a room with Dawn and Buffy.. something which excited Willow who had a big grin on her face before exclaiming, "we could have a slumber party. Just us."

"We have ice-cream?" asked Tara.

"We have ice-cream," answered Willow, "well… as long as the Potentials haven't eaten them all."

"Oh… sor… sorry," said one of the English girls who arrived with Giles, Annabelle, "ummm…"

"Hey," Tara said as she let go of Willow and headed to the blonde girl who walked out of the door that led to the kitchen inside the main house. She looked at Tara, and then at Willow before saying that she wanted to come out to the back yard for some fresh air. However, Tara knew that the young woman was not telling the truth. Tara placed her hand on Annabelle's shoulder and led her to one of the trees in the backyard. She and Willow sat down and leaned against the trunk before telling Annabelle to join them.

Willow and Tara could see that she was feeling anxious and occasionally turning around to look at the high walls, and then back at Willow and Tara.

"How's the movie?" asked Willow who knew that the three potential slayers were watching a re-run of Die Hard.

"I…" said Annabelle as she turned her head towards the wall and then back to the ground.

"We're safe, you know," Tara said gently as Annabelle looked at her. Willow looked at her girlfriend and wondered what was going on as the blonde continued, "Willow and I placed a spell that covered this entire place, the security system is top of the line, we have armed people protecting us… people who do this type of thing."

"I…. I don't know if.. if anyone can protect us," whispered Annabelle as her voice started to crack, "Kennedy and Molly are talking about watchers and Slayers, and demons and…"

"I thought you were the tough one?" asked Willow as she remembered what she heard from Faith the first-time Giles brought the Potentials to the Summers house. Willow sighed when she saw the façade on Annabelle's face fall, revealing pure terror. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that you should always be tough. It's good to be scared."

"That's what Faith says but… but I'm not scared. With the others, I don't want to show how weak I am and… and all I want to do is get out of here because I'm terrified."

Annabelle closed her eyes and shook her head as tears travelled down her cheeks while repeating that she was terrified.

"Sweetie," said Tara as she got up and held her hand, "we've done this for a long time. And trust me that we're just as terrified as you. Even more when I first encountered the supernatural."

"Did you know that I was kidnapped by Vampires?" asked Willow after she got up and approached Annabelle. She placed a hand on her arm before recounting the day she met Buffy was the day she was kidnapped; and it was the most horrifying day of her life. Willow revealed that she was scared each and every day, but she had her friends around her, "and that's what made me want to overcome y fear and get better. At least try to become better."

"Did you ever get over your fear?" asked Annabelle.

"You never get over it, Annabelle," said Tara gently, "you never get over that fear. You never get over the fear of loss; it could be losing your life or losing the people you love... you don't get over the fear. But you can use that fear and channel it to make yourself be better."

"Listen," said Willow, "how'd you like to join me, Tara, and Dawn for a slumber party."

"With all of this going on around us?" asked a confused Annabelle as she motioned towards the work still being done around the compound.

"It's the best time," said Tara, "it'll keep your mind off the stuff that's happening. We'll be getting more Potentials, Annabelle.. and… and they're going to be just as scared as you, Molly, and Kennedy. Use this time to come to terms with your fears, and the first thing you can do is join us. We'll be talking about boys."

"Girls." Said Willow.

"Dawn's going to talking about some weird food combinations," said Tara as she placed a hand on Annabelle's back, "and then tomorrow you and the others will start training. And these people, these military guys… along with Giles, Wesley, and Faith know what they're doing. They'll be with you and the Potentials all the way."

Annabelle looked back at the wall and imagined herself climbing over and then running away. She sighed and wiped her tears before looking at the grass and then took in a deep breath to compose herself. Annabelle then nodded her head before she turned around. Willow and Tara placed their hands on her back while guiding her back into the main building. They glanced at each other at the possible near loss of one of the potentials. Tara then looked at the wall and wondered, with a shudder, what could have happened if Annabelle did run away.

'She didn't… that's what matters,' Tara thought to herself, "she probably thought there was no one here in the back, and she was surprised to see us. If we weren't her, then she would have run away without us knowing.'

Tara then used her magic to mentally talk to Willow. The two witches looked at each other and agreed that the Potential Slayers needed someone to counsel them so that other instances such as this one does not happen again. Tara told Willow that she would talk to colonel Sheppard when he came in tomorrow, but in the meantime… they were going to have fun to keep everyone's minds busy.

**The Sunnydale Army Base infirmary, 0030 hours.**

The the three Potential slayers were picked up and returned to the Slayer Compound without any hassle. In the meantime, Buffy was laughing at some of the stories that Ronan had about a frowning Mackay. The group chatted and laughed for a long time until it was just Buffy and Colonel Sheppard after everyone had gone back to their rooms to rest. The both of them just sat in silence before Buffy slowly got up five minutes after Ronon left and said that she needed to get some sleep, "especially if I'm going to work tomorrow so that I can keep my job."

"You gonna be alright?" asked the colonel as he looked at Buffy whose bruises on her face and arms had already vanished.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, "and I can promise you that I'm not going down to the basement without any back-up."

"Good," said the colonel as he sat back on the inclined back of his bed and groaned, "or else I might just have to get off this bed and rescue you."

Buffy gave a little smirk while raising an eyebrow at the Colonel, and then jokingly said, "maybe I just might have you rescue me."

The both of them then chuckled while Buffy said, between giggles, that she couldn't believe she had just said that. The Colonel then shook his head and waved his hands while chuckling. The both of them stopped laughing after a few more minutes and looked at each other. They were about two feet away from each other as the Colonel studied Buffy's face, while the Slayer studied Colonel Sheppard's lips and imagined kissing him just like in the spell when she was near death.

"I… I should get going," Buffy mumbled before taking a step back as she remembered that they had a huge battle coming against the First, "we'll head to the compound tomorrow and…"

"We need a better name for that place… I mean you need a better name for that place."

"Any ideas?" asked Buffy as she stared at the Colonel.

"Right now?" said the Colonel as he stared at Buffy in her Army sweats and shirt, "I've got nothing."

"We've got time, right?" asked Buffy while she was mentally asking herself what kind of 'time' she was referencing to; time to get to know one another even more with a possibility of a relationship of some kind… or time to find a name for the new Compound which would become a base of operations. Or both.

"We've got time," replied the Colonel nodding his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," said Buffy before she walked backwards towards the door, "bright and early."

"Bright and early, Buffy," said the Colonel as Buffy smiled at him before walking backwards through the door. The door then shut and the Colonel looked away at his bedsheet before whispering, "bright and early."

"Good night," Buffy whispered as she walked slowly down the hall before entering her room, "good night."

TBC

 


	63. Chapter 63

**The Summers home, 0800 hours.**

Buffy walked into her empty home, a car waiting for her outside with a driver who was armed leaving the driver's side and then closing the door. She assured the young man that she was going to be fine, that no one would dare do anything in her home and in the day. However, the young man insisted on being in the living room while Buffy went up the stairs to pack herself some clothes which he would then take to the Slayer Compound after dropping her off at the high school for her job.

Not wanting to argue, especially after arguing unsuccessfully with a groggy Giles, Colonel Sheppard, and General O'Neill that she was going to be fine in the daytime on her own, Buffy nodded her head at the officer before heading up her stairs.

Colonel Sheppard had gone with Ronon, and Mackay to the Slayer compound, while another car took Xander back to his place to gather his clothes. In the meantime, Buffy entered her room and looked around before heading for her closet. She pulled out some clothes, and then a bag before turning again and pulled out more clothes. A few minutes later, there were a few shirts, blouses, skirts, jeans, and trousers on her bed which she then began to pack; eventually leaving just a pair of her undergarments, a blue half sleeved blouse, and a skirt that ended a few inches below her knee.

She then rushed out of her room and passed the top of the stairs when she yelled at the young officer that she'll be heading out of the shower in a few minutes. After hearing the officer's acknowledgment, Buffy went back to her room and picked up the remaining clothes off the bed and then headed for the washroom.

Closing the door behind her, Buffy then took off her clothes and dropped them into a hamper. She then sighed, wondering when she'd be able to return home, before pulling aside the shower curtain. She stepped in, and then closed the curtain behind her before turning on the warm water. She looked up at the shower head before closing her eyes as she wiped the water over her face and felt it fall down her body.

She ran her hands through her hair while wondering what would be the next step in the battle against the First.

'Training's first,' though Buffy as she opened her eyes and looked at the wall in front of her, 'that's a fact. The new guys are scared, just like I was when I was first called. And that was when I had powers. But these guys… these guys are just normal girls.'

"Who should be living a normal life," Buffy whispered as she soaped her body while wondering what a normal life would be like. She had been the Slayer for so long, fought for so long that she didn't know what it would be like to have a normal life. Buffy shook her head before washing off the soap as her mind went to her 'dream' where Colonel Sheppard was waiting for her on the front lawn. She could feel her ears get warm as she remembered the kiss, followed by Tara voice saying that the dream was meant to show here something she wanted so that her soul would stay in that prison.

She sighed again before reminding herself that there was still a huge battle to fight, and that she didn't need any distractions. No matter how much she wanted to be distracted. Stepping out of the shower, Buffy dried herself off and then put on her clothes. The Slayer then rushed out of the bathroom, and into the hallway before heading for her room. She then put on her shoes before she picked up the big bag effortlessly, and then rushed down the stairs where the officer was still waiting for her.

"This place is going to be empty," Buffy said as she looked around at the living room, especially at the pictures on the mantle and on the walls. She then turned to the young officer and asked him if there was going to be anyone looking after the house.

"There will be someone watching the house, ma'am," said the young officer before Buffy nodded her head. She then headed out onto the porch following the officer. She then closed the front door, locked it, and then walked onto the walkway and towards the car. She then placed the large bag into the trunk before asking the officer if she was being taken to the Compound, or to the school.

"I have orders to have you brought to the school," said the officer as Buffy nodded her head before being told hat Dawn was being sent to the school as well. "A car will pick you up as well, ma'am."

"There's no need to pick me or my sister up," said Buffy, "I think that we're…"

"It's General O'Neill's orders, ma'am," said the officer as Buffy sighed before getting into the car. She asked the officer to take her to the nearby coffee shop since she hadn't had breakfast yet, and then she was taken to the school. Getting out of the car once she was at the walkway leading to the entrance, Buffy waved at the driver before closing the door. The car then left for the Slayer compound. Buffy watched the car drive away before she put her hand on her hips, turned around, and then shrugged her shoulders before walking towards the entrance.

Her first stop while she drank her coffee was to the canteen where she saw Dawn with her friends. Buffy leaned against the door to the canteen, and just stared at her sister while other students walked past. A minutes later, Dawn felt as if someone was looking at her, and she looked up to meet Buffy's eyes. Dawn then told her friends that she would be right back as she got up from her seat. Not wanting to embarrass her sister, no matter how much she wanted to, Buffy walked out into the hallway. Dawn followed her out the doors, and was immediately hugged by the blonde Slayer.

"I'm so glad to see you, Buffy," said Dawn as she hugged her sister tight.

"Glad to see you too, Dawnie," Buffy whispered hugging her sister while holding to her coffee and a bag of three donuts. All for herself. Buffy tightened her hold on Dawn while she recalled last night having told Dawn that she expected her in school. Especially since Buffy herself had to get to work.

"How's Xander," Dawn said as she pulled back while still holding to her sister.

"He's still bruised," said Buffy, "but he was taken home so that he could shower, change, pack, and then brought to the Compound. But you know Xand, he's stubborn. He's insisting on working. So he'll be coming here later to work at the site." With Xander being the foreman for the yet to be completed North section of the school, Buffy told Dawn that she'll be keeping an eye on him when he can.

"And you know he's going to worry about us," said Dawn as Buffy nodded her head. It was just then that three girls walked out into the hallway and headed for Dawn. The young girl let go of Buffy before saying that she was heading for homeroom with her friends.

"I'll see you later," Buffy said as she watched Dawn and her friends walk past her- Dawn gently squeezing the Slayer's hand before walking away. Dawn looked back and waved, as did Buffy, before the brunette disappeared after walking around a corner. Buffy then turned, took a sip of her coffee, and headed for her desk in the counsellor's office.

'Let's make this as much of a normal day as possible,' thought Buffy to herself. 'A normal day. A very normal day. A normal day on top of the Hellmouth.'

**The Slayer Compound, 0845 hours.**

Colonel Shepard was dropped off at the entrance of the Compound with Ronon who nodded in approval at the mansion, while Mackay frowned before telling the Major that it seemed a bit too much.

"We're supposed to be getting more potential Slayers," said the Colonel as he looked around the large front yard, as at the high walls before turning back to Mackay, "and so, we need the space."

The three of them stood at the entrance to the mansion, and then walked up the walkway to the door. He looked up at the entrance camera and smirked. The door then beeped, followed by an audible click. The man then pushed the door open, only to see Tara running towards him.

"Hey," said the Colonel as she hugged him tightly while trying not to wince at the pain his body was still going through. Behind her was Willow and Faith who came up to them; the redhead hugging the Colonel while Faith nodding at Mackay and Ronon. Her eyes linger on the Satedan man, as did Ronon's eyes linger on the dark haired Slayer before she turned and asked the Colonel if he was feeling better.

"Yea, are you?" asked Tara as she held the Colonel's arm while Mackay waved his hands and asked if anyone was going to asked if he felt better.

"Do you feel better, Dr. Mackay?" asked Willow.

"Yes, thanks for asking," replied Mackay as Tara chuckled while Ronan rolled his eyes upwards. Tara then said that Captain Weiss was leading the Potential Slayers in warm-ups for the past thirty minutes. Later, Faith added that she was going to be meeting with Teyla for some work-out before heading off to the Magic Box with Giles, Wesley, and Fred to help in research on the First while Spike, Lorne, and a few others were in the basement helping to research the 'manhole' cover.

"So," Faith said while looking at Ronon, "I'd like to see your skills. At least when you're doing better."

"Oh, I'm already better," said Ronon as he took a step towards Faith. The Colonel then told Ronon to remember what the doctor said, that he could start training only in a few days. Ronon then smirked at Faith before saying, "looks like it'll have to wait a little for us to share some pointers."

"Oh yes, it will," Faith nodded her head before walking backwards. She then told Mackay and the Colonel that she was supposed to meet Teyla outside, and that she didn't want to be late. The Colonel nodded at her before Mackay said he needed to get to the kitchen since he was starving, and then he needed to check out the computer system and make sure that the readings were being fed in real time to the satellites in orbit, which were connected to the SGC computers.

"Come on, I'll show you," said Willow motioning for the scientist to follow her The redhead also called out for Ronon and said that they were making some eggs and pancakes. "better have the food now before the Potentials are done with their morning exercises."

"Yea! I'm coming with you," exclaimed Mackay as he rubbed his hands before following Willow out of the large foyer. Ronon sighed before telling the Colonel that he would be following Mackay; and then he was gone while Tara walked into the house arm in arm with her brother. He looked around the new place and whistled before saying that it looked nice. Tara t hen took him on a tour of the compound while explaining that she and Willow placed a magical field that'll prevent any attack.

"Or at least slow it down so that everyone could get ready to fight back," said Tara with a small smile on her face. "Oh, and I called dad this morning. Told him that you sent him a 'hi'."

"Thanks," the Colonel said as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "Is he doing alright?"

"He misses us," answered Tara as they started walking up a flight of stairs to the second floor while continuing to speak, "I was hoping that maybe we could visit him again. This time me and Willow together, and you and… well…"

"We're just friends, Tara," said the Colonel as he walked up alongside the blonde witch.

"I can see you're attracted to her," said Tara in a 'matter of fact' voice. The Colonel chuckled before saying that there was nothing between them, and that he should keep it professional. And Tara nodded her head, "all I'm saying is that after this mess is over, you should bring Buffy and Dawn along when we visit daddy."

"Yes, sis," huffed the Colonel before Tara giggled as the nearly reached the top of the stairs.

"And there is one more thing," Tara said as she stopped after walking up the stairs to the second level where they leaning against a railing and saw the Potentials training in the yard a few meters away. She motioned towards the young British girl, Annabelle, who was panting as she lay on the ground with Molly next to her. "I'm guessing that Major Klein will talk to you about it later but… well, she was thinking about running away last night."

"Damn," he whispered as he looked at the girl who was talking to Molly, and then looked away before she was motioned to her feet by Captain Weiss, the trainer for the Potential Slayers. "And I take it you talked her out of it?"

"Played some games and had ice-cream for a girls' night," said Tara as she stared at Annabelle who was getting up. She could see that the young girl was still concerned and wary about what she would be facing as a Potential Slayer, and was privately afraid that she would attempt to run away again. Tara was afraid that if Annabelle tried again, then she would be successful in running away from the compound.

And that she would die at the hands of the Bringers or the Turok-han.

Tara then asked the Colonel if he could bring in someone to talk to the girls about what they were facing, or rather, about what they were going to face. "They need help, John."

"I'll see what I can do," the Colonel said nodding his head as they both looked out at the Potentials, and then at Faith rushing up to meet with Teyla who was a few feet away from the yet to be activated Slayers.

"And in the meantime," said Tara as she nudged the Colonel, "get something to eat for your breakfast. How about we go for lunch later? We could pick up Buffy and Xander from the school during her break, and head to town? What do you think? Or better yet, we get some lunch, and have it in Buffy's office so that Dawn could eat with us."

"I think that'd be great," said the Colonel, "but before that, I need to get a briefing from Major Klein and Giles about what's been going on as far as the security system was concerned. And there's the Potentials; are they still being directed here instead of Buffy's house? How many more are coming next week, and the week after that."

"We have two more coming this week," said Tara as she nodded towards the new Potentials who arrived late last night. "The redhead's Vi, then you have Rona, and then there's Chloe. Two more later. And we're expecting more over the next few weeks, John."

"And we'll be ready," the Colonel said. He then sighed before turning to Tara and asking her if there was a way to weaponize magic. He stared at Tara's confused look before explaining that the Turok-han vampire that attacked Spike and Faith was powerful, "at least according to the reports. Is there any way to beat that thing from a distance? Or maybe using a magical grenade?"

"Fred's doing some research on that while Willow will be in class, and then helping out Colonel Carter with something," said Tara who added that Willow was being secretive about what she was doing. "But she's happy working for one of her idols, and she's happy with the training by her mentor from the Devon coven. She's supposed to be coming here to train Willow tomorrow, maybe you could ask her then?"

"Yea," the Colonel nodded his head before telling Tara that he was feeling hungry.

"Pancakes?" asked Tara.

"Pancakes." The Colonel nodded his head before heading back down the stairs with his sister beside him.

**TBC.**

 


	64. Chapter 64

**Sunnydale High, 1230 hours.**

Robin Wood stepped out of his office and headed for Buffy's cubicle in the next office to his left as he entered the hallway while students rushed past him as they headed for their classes. After she was taken to the Sunnydale Army base, Robin heard that Buffy was one of the people who were injured during what the military and the school; board called a foiled terrorist attack in the basement of the school. He was told that a group of student were caught before they could do anything horrific. Robin was told that the students were taken away, and their parents notified of the arrests. However, he was told that there were a few people injured during the arrest, including Buffy, when she was in the basement searching for supplies.

He did ask for more information but was told that he received everything that he needed to know. But Robin knew that he was being told what he wanted to hear, and that he wasn't being told about the whole situation.

As he opened the door to the councillor's offices, Robin wanted to know what was going on. And he was going to find out that very night as he walked towards Buffy who was working on her computer. As he walked towards the Slayer, Robin thought of his mother and how busy she was…. How she had basically put her own job ahead of her son in her duty as the one and only Slayer. Robin watched as Buffy typed something on her computer while he placed his arm on the top of her cubicle, and the coughed.

"Hi," Buffy squeaked as she looked up at Robin who was smirking at the way the young woman's hair bopped as she looked up at him with a start, "Principal Wood, I…"

"Robin, remember?" asked the man as he walked past the cubicle while Buffy closed a window on her computer screen where she was searching for any information on the First Evil. However, all she got were generic sites, over a million of them.

"Sorry, Robin," Buffy said with a smile as he leaned against the edge of the cubicle while staring at her, "how can I help you?"

"Just wanted to see if you're alright after the incident that just happened," Robin said as he watched her eyes flick towards the screen, and then back at him while she nodded her head and said that she was feeling better.

"Was a little scared though when the fighting started," she said remembering the cover story she was asked to tell anyone who asked about that day, "one of the terrorists attacked me and tried to use me as a bargaining chip and… yeah… bad memories."

"Of course, of course," said Robin nodding his head. He then looked around and saw that the office was full of the counselling staff before he turned back to Buffy once again, "you have an appointment?"

"In fifteen minutes," Buffy said as she nodded her head, "and then lunch with a few friends." Buffy then looked at her schedule, and back at Robin once again, "and after that I have three more students. So, yeah, busy day."

"Are you busy tonight?" whispered Robin after he leaned closer so as not to have the others overhear what he was saying. This close to Buffy, Robin could smell her perfume while looking into the surprise written on her eyes. Buffy shook her head before saying that she was going to be studying for her next days appointment. At that, the principal arched his eyebrows upwards in disbelief. Buffy then chuckled before saying that she was heading off to her friend's house for a get together. And it was true, she was heading off to what they were calling the Slayer Compound, their new home away from home, that night.

As she took in the scent of Robin's cologne, she looked away for a few seconds and wondered to herself if he was asking her out on a date. She like Colonel Sheppard, Buffy had no mistakes in realizing her feelings for the man. She didn't know how he would take it if she said 'yes' to Robin, or if he would really care that the bald man had asked her out.

'We agreed not to do anything while the First was still a threat,' thought Buffy to herself as she looked back at Robin, 'if Robin's asking me out on a date, then... then… damn it, I don't know. John likes me, and I like him… but I don't know if we'll be together even after this is over. What if… what if our feelings are due to all of us being under attack constantly? What if… what if these feelings aren't real, and…. And what if… what if… there are so many what if's'.

"Buffy?" asked Robin with concern in his voice when he saw that Buffy had zoned out for a few seconds, "Buffy?"

"Huh?" said the Slayer shaking her head, "oh sorry. You… you asked me out. I mean…" Buffy then leaned in and whispered, "are you asking me out on a date?"

"More of a personal welcome back dinner," Robin whispered as he looked into Buffy's eyes, "it's not like I'm telling you to go out with me or else you lose your job, and…. Ok," Robin stopped talking when Buffy arched an eyebrow and he realized he had said something stupid as a joke. "That didn't come out right, and I may have to get you to sign a piece of paper that says I didn't mean it that way, and…"

"I know," smiled Buffy as she watched the flustered man ramble on, "but I…" Buffy then thought of the consequences of what may happen if she said 'yes'. And she didn't like any of them. Tara would be disappointed in her, so would Willow, Xander, and Dawn since all of them liked Colonel Sheppard. And so did Buffy herself. But Buffy had a split second to make a decision with the knowledge that she kissed the Colonel on the cheek back in D.C, and then they nearly kissed at the Wedding of his brother, and then she just wanted to kiss him last night at the Sunnydale Army Base infirmary. Buffy was aware that they were supposed to take it slow, and professional, until the First had been dealt with.

But her mind kept on going back to wondering if their feelings were just because of the circumstances they found themselves in. The truth was that Buffy didn't know what to say to the Principal. She though that he was handsome, and there was a part of her mind that thought he was sexy. To her, he seemed like a normal guy with a normal job and a part of her craved normalcy in her life.

'What happens when John has to go back to Atlantis?' though Buffy as she looked away from Robin's eyes, 'what if he leaves and then… well, what if he just leaves? And yeah, I dreamt about him when I was nearly dead but… ok. hold on… I know I want him. But was that because I was near death? Damn it, Tara explained something and now I can't remember it.. stupid brain and…. Oh.. Robin's looking at e like I'm some crazy weirdo. Answer him… just answer him.'

"How about a rain-check?" asked Buffy as she believed it would give her some time to ask the Colonel if he had any feelings for her at all. He looked at the slight frown on the bald man's face before he nodded his head.

"I'll… ah…" he said nervously as he stepped back, "I'll leave you to your work, Buffy. And welcome back."

Buffy nodded her head before Robin turned around and walked out of the Counsellor's office. It was a few seconds later that Willow, Tara, Colonel Sheppard, and Giles walked into the office. Buffy, smiling at her friends while glancing over the Colonel, then got off her seat and said she was ready to leave for lunch.

"Where's Xander?" asked Buffy asking Willow while she walked up to the Colonel who had his hands in his pockets.

"He said there's a lot of work to do," Willow replied, "we just got him some burgers."

"Cool," said Buffy as they walked out of the office while Giles said that after extensive research, Spike, Fred, Lorne, and Wesley found out he significance of the 'manhole cover' that opened up to release the Turok-han. Buffy looked at him as he looked aboard the empty hallways before sighing and then turning his head towards Buffy, "it's a seal. The seal of Danzalther. Buffy, it's supposed to keep the Hellmouth closed."

"Wait," Buffy said as she stopped walking. The others stopped as well and turned towards Buffy who whispered, "you're saying that the seal lead straight into the Hellmouth? So those uber-vamps were….."

"From the Hellmouth, Buffy," said Tara, "there could be more down there, we don't know."

"There has to be a way to check it out," said Buffy as she turned to Colonel Sheppard who whispered that the most advanced sensors they had were on the Daedalus.

"And it's on the way back," the Colonel said referring to the Daedalus returning to Earth from Lantea in the Pegasus Galaxy. The Colonel wold later tell Buffy and the others, after getting into the Watcher's car, that the Prometheus too was being recalled to run detailed scans under the Sunnydale High School. Tara nodded her head as she sat in the rear with Buffy while the Colonel was seated next to Giles. The group then headed out for lunch while talking about the next step.

It was on the way to lunch that Buffy heard about what Annabelle tried to do the previous night. The Slayer shook her head before asking if she was alright. Willow and Tara nodded their heads before Tara said that Colonel Sheppard had already talked to someone, and they were sending counsellor to talk to Annabelle and the other Potential Slayers.

'Trust me, these people are the same ones that SG teams who go off-world have to see every month," said the Colonel who anticipated that Buffy would ask if these counsellor's would be able to understand their unusual situation, "so yea, they have a lot of experience with the weird."

"Good," said Buffy before she turned to Tara and Willow. She thanked them for taking care of Annabelle, and then said that she'll talk to her and the other Potentials that very night. Buffy then asked the two young women what else happened while she was at work. The Slayer chuckled when she was told that Ronon was itching to spar with Faith; she was told by Tara that Ronon was watching while Teyla and Faith were sparring, the Athosian woman giving tops to the Slayer when she present openings that could be taken advantage of.

"Wait, so Faith gets the training while I'm stuck here at work," Frownied Buffy while Tara chuckled before saying that Teyla was going to be working with the two Slayers.

"And she's smooth when she's sparring," said Willow as she placed an arm around Faith;s shoulder while Giles and the Colonel just continued to listen, "but she was hit hard by Faith a few times too. And Ronon was kinda celebrating."

"Teyla and Ronon spar nearly everyday," said the Colonel as he looked over his shoulder, "so far, Teyla's beaten him more than the other way around." The Colonel then looked back out the windshield before saying that they learn from each other. "Me too, I mean I've been working with the both of them."

"So, then how about you and me go at it?" asked Buffy with a smirk on her face as the Colonel looked back at her. Tara noticed the hint of playfulness in Buffy's voice, as did Willow who asked.

"Yea, Jon, how come you and Buffy go at it."

It was then that Giles started to cough nervously before he looked at the rear view mirror and asked them to change the topic of conversation, "saying 'go at it' could be construed as something else."

"What could it possibly… oh," the colonel said as he stared at Giles before looking at Buffy whose eyes were wide open when she realized the double entendre in what the both of them had just said. Willow and Tara did their best, but failed, to push back the laughter that escaped from their lips. The Colonel and Buffy just stared at each other for a few seconds before smiles appeared on their faces. The both of them then started to laugh while Giles mumbled, "the world is doomed."

It was a few minutes later that the car stopped outside a café and the group stepped out. Once they got out, Buffy asked everyone to go on ahead before turning to the Colonel and asking him if they could talk in private. The Colonel nodded his head while Tara, a smile on her face as she met Buffy's eyes, said that she and the others would wait for them inside.

Giles, Tara, and Willow walked back into the café with Willow asking Tara if she knew what was going on while the Colonel and Buffy walked away from the car.

"I… I was asked out on a date," said Buffy once they were far enough away from the café. She turned and looked at the Colonel's face with her arms over her chest. She said that the question came out of the blue and it had forced her to think about something.

"Which is?" asked the Colonel as he looked at Buffy which they walked into a quiet section of the street.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Buffy as she stared at the Colonel, "you like me, and I like you. Correct?"

"Yea," the Colonel answered.

"Do we like each other because of the situation we find ourselves in? I mean think back to D.C… I kissed you because you showed us a really good time… we enjoyed every moment of it. You showed us around and… yeah. Anyway, there was the almost kiss at the wedding. And then let's not forget the sparkage last night when I was in your room. And yes, I know there was sparkage because I could feel the sparkage. So, is there something going on between us that'll go on after this whole thing with the First is done?"

Buffy then took a deep breath as she continued to stare at the Colonel who tried to stifle a laugh once she finished her rambling.

"Buffy," the Colonel said as he stepped forward and held her hand gently, "I do like you. And here's the thing, if you liked me… I mean you did kiss me before the First made itself known to us. If you liked me then, then maybe it's not what you think it is. Maybe we really do like each other and… well… how do you feel about a long distance relationship."

"If its with the right person," Buffy nodded her head.

"And what if it's with someone who's fighting to save a galaxy from Space Vampires?" asked the Colonel with a smirk.

"Then I don't mind," said the Slayer.

"And I'm okay with…. Wait," said the Colonel as he took a step forward, "how about this? If we survive what's coming next? If the First is defeated, how would you like to be stationed in Atlantis? I can talk to General O'Neill and Dr. Weir, and…"

"Dawn has school here, and she's still a minor," chuckled Buffy. She then stopped laughing before thanking the Colonel for the offer. "But I can't take her out of school. I can't abandon her and…"

"Then that just means a long commute and emails from Pegasus," said the Colonel as Buffy gave a small smile before saying that she'll be able to handle that just fine. She was about to take a step back and say that they needed to get to the café since she was on her lunch break when the Colonel pulled her closer, placed a hand on her check. He then leaned in and kissed her passionately while Buffy's hand's travelled to the back of his head.

They kissed for a minute before Buffy pulled back, a smile on her face.

"Well, I guess that kiss said everything I needed to know," Buffy said before leaning in and kissing the Colonel again. She pulled back after a few seconds before saying that the date was off. The Colonel chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her again before pulling away for the final time.

"I think…"

"I think we keep it professional around the others," said Buffy as she caressed his cheek before biting her lower lip. The Colonel nodded his head in agreement as they stepped back, straightened their clothes, and then walked back to the café where Tara greeted them with a sly grin on her face as they sat down at the table.

"So," she said trying to hide the smile her lips were threatening to form, "you guys had a good talk?"

"Yeah," said the Colonel as he nudged his sister with an elbow.

The Colonel turned towards his sister who leaned in and whispered in his ear that she could feel the attraction between him and Buffy having flared a few seconds ago. The Colonel then stared at Buffy who was discussing what to order with Willow and Giles, before he turned to Tara who whispered that she was happy for the both of them. The Colonel then held Tara's hand before leaning in for a kiss to her cheek.

"So shall we order?" asked Giles as he looked around the table.

"Yea," answered Buffy as she glanced at the Colonel, "I'm ready."

"Me too," said the Colonel as Tara and Willow started their orders.

TBC.

 


	65. Chapter 65

**The Slayer Compound, the next day, 0720 hours.**

Tara lay on her back, on the damp grass, panting in the backyard with her arms spread out on either side of her body. Her forehead was covered with sweat as she turned her head and stared at Willow who was panting as well, one hand on her chest, while sweat beaded on her forehead, face, and arms. Tara then, wordlessly, looked back up at the clear and bright sunny day. She felt as if her lungs were burning while her shoulders and arms started to feel like lead weights, her legs stung too as pain travelled up and down her body.

Tara heard the blood rushing in her ears with a loud thumping sound, and every sound around her seeming as if they were coming from a distance. Tara blinked her eyes, and then stared at Willow again, this time the young redhead looked back at her and reached out with her hand. Tara grabbed the hand, and intertwined her fingers between Willow's and looked straight into her eyes.

From that one point of contact, Tara could tell that Willow was feeling the same amount of pain as her.

Then, over the sounds of her blood rushing behind her ears, Tara heard the sound of grass being stepped on before a face came into view looking down at her.

"Hey," Colonel Sheppard said in a grey coloured Air Force T-Shirt and track pants before a grin appeared his face, "rest time's over."

"Oh goddess," groaned Tara while Willow placed her other hand over her eyes and groaned.

"Come on, you two," the Colonel said trying to hide the chuckle that threatened to escape his lips, "time to get up. All you two did was run a little, do some squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and…"

"That's it?" groaned Willow as she put her arm, that was laying across her eyes, back on the grass.

"Yea," the Colonel said nonchalantly before looking over his shoulders at the Potentials being trained on another section of the backyard while Buffy and Faith were practising the Athosian equivalent of Tai Chi with Teyla. The Colonel lingered on Buffy who was in a T-Shirt and sweat pants alongside Faith and remembered the kiss they shared from the previous day. Looking away, the Colonel then looked back down at his exhausted sister and Willow before reaching down to help them up. Tara grabbed his hand and then yelped as he pulled her up to her feet before moving on to Willow. Tara bent down and rested her hands on her knees while Willow was being pulled up, and then given a pat on her shoulder by the Colonel. "Feeling better?"

"If we say yes, does that mean another round of torture and pain?" asked Willow with her hands on her hips as patches of sweat were all over her grey shirt.

"Yes," answered the Colonel with a chuckle.

"And if we say no?" asked Tara as she stood back up and walked over to Willow.

"We'll still do another set, and then…"

"We get to fire one of those cool Zat guns?" asked an excited Willow clapping her hands while Tara chuckled.

"No," the Colonel answered with a pout from Willow, "but you'll be learning some basic takedowns today with me and Ronon. With those eyeless guys that attacked us the other day still out there, I want the both of you… well, I want you both to be able to defend yourselves."

"Again, a Zat would help a lot," Willow noted as the Colonel narrowed his eyes at her while Tara chuckled.

'Alright," the Colonel said ignoring Willow's question while clapping his hands. He then jogged towards the two young women. He held their hands on either side of his body and then proceeded to jog out towards the edge of the grassy backyard. The two women then groaned before jogging alongside him while Giles, and Xander looked on from the sidelines before going back into the house to have their breakfast.

They were going back to finding more information on the Seal that covered the Hellmouth.

While the Colonel Sheppard, Tara, and Willow were jogging, Buffy and Faith were following Teyla's actions. The blonde Slayer, at the same time, was eying the Colonel as he held on to Tara and Willow for a few more seconds before letting them go. The two women then continued to jog alongside the Colonel. Buffy then imagined the kiss she and the Colonel shared the previous day. She could still feel his lips on her lips, she could feel his breath, and his hair between her fingers as she followed the Colonel with her eyes before returning her focus to Teyla's moves. Buffy glanced at Faith, and then at Teyla, and then back at the Colonel before she took a deep breath.

Buffy then glanced over at the Potentials who were currently taking a short break. They were sitting around on the grass in a circle with Kennedy observing the panting and exhausted Willow and Tara. Buffy suppressed a chuckle at the eyes Kennedy was making at Willow when she thought no-one was looking, 'sorry Kennedy. You and Will? Not happening.' Buffy looked away from Kennedy and at the other Potentials before setting down on Annabelle.

Buffy then recalled the talk she had with Faith about Annabelle last night; ending with Faith reluctantly agreeing to take the Potential under her wing. It was in the backyard, while they were sitting on the grass, that the two Slayers talked about Annabelle's near escape.

"Can't blame her for being terrified, B," Faith said as she ripped some blades of grass off the ground, and then gathered them in the palm of her hand. She then raised her palm with the blades of grass to her lip and gently blew them away. Faith watched the blades of grass fly off into the air before float back onto the ground. Before the blades of grass landed, Faith turned to Buffy once again and said, "I'd have tried the same thing too if I were her."

"I guess I would have done the same thing too," Buffy whispered looking up at the stars above them. At the same time, the two Slayers could hear sounds of laughter from the house behind them with many of the Potentials staying up to watch movies. Buffy then turned to Faith, who was looking at the ground, as if she was concentrating on one spot, and asked, "what did we do? John said they know someone who would be coming in to talk to the Potentials, and to us too I guess."

"Maybe Annabelle should stay with one of us, ya know?" said Faith looking over at Buffy, "like a protégé-mentor thing, you know? Kinda like a Jedi and a padawan, or a.."

"Yea, yea, I got it," Buffy chuckled at Faith's Star Wars reference before continuing, "there are more coming in, Faith. We can't show favouritism to one or two of the Potentials."

"Just the ones who are really, really troubled," Faith said, "take Annabelle, she tried to run away when she knew that the Bringers were still out there. And then there are the uber-vamps. Those things are out there, and…"

"And she tried to run despite knowing all of that," Buffy whispered nodding her head. She knew that Faith was right, Annabelle did try to run away and her life could have been placed in grave danger. Buffy wondered about the rest of the Potentials and if having a protégé to groom would mean that the others would feel left out.

Turning to Faith, Buffy wondered if it would be better for the dark haired Slayer to have a protégé. Buffy knew that Faith was still questioning herself on her capability to lead; in fact, Faith admitted it to Buffy in private.

'That's why she didn't want to train,' Buffy thought as she looked away from Faith and at the grass. 'But if something happens to me, then she's the only Slayer.. the only full Slayer… and she'll need to lead these girls. Ummm… maybe… yeah… I have an idea.'

"How about you take Annabelle as your protégé?" Buffy asked looking at Faith. At that comment, Faith snapped her head towards Buffy while her eyes widened in surprise. Buffy stared at the surprise on her fellow Slayer's face and continued, "I mean give her some special attention, and…"

"I don't know," Faith interrupted as she looked away from Buffy, "my background would mean that I will crack her or… look, B, I'm the last person you want leading anyone. I'll probably end up traumatising any of the poor kids. And I'm not exactly Miss Trustworthy either, and…."

"It'll be good for you too," Buffy whispered as Faith sighed and then turned her head to look at the blonde Slayer once again, "she's afraid, Faith. The both of us know what that's like and we have the Slayer powers already."

"B." Faith interrupted her while shaking her head.

"Faith," Buffy said in a serious tone of voice as Faith sighed while looking up at the stars in the sky, "I could die tomorrow. And then you're the only one who's a full Slayer. Will a new Slayer come after I die? I don't know. But that doesn't matter, what matters is that then you have to look after these girls They look to you for guidance and… and…" Buffy then looked away and up at the stars while she leaned back and lay on the grass with her elbows for support, "and I'm asking you to. It's going to be good for you, and for Annabelle."

"You ordering me?" asked Faith softly as she turned her head and stared at Buffy who shifted her eyes away from the stars and looked at her fellow Slayer.

"I'm asking for your help," Buffy whispered gently as she looked at the fear in Faith's at the thought of having a life being moulded in her hands. Buffy knew it was time to rebuild the trust between the both of them. And there was something that told her that Faith would want to prove she could be better. "We've had our differences, Faith. But this is bigger than the two of us."

"The entire Slayer Line is in danger," Faith then added as she leaned back and rested on her elbows just as Buffy did. She then stared at Buffy and turned her head back towards the starlit sky. "I guess I'm getting a Padawan."

Back in the present day, Faith patted Teyla's shoulder once they were done and then rushed to the other Potential Slayers. Teyla and Buffy watched as Faith approached Annabelle, crouched next to her and tapped her shoulder. Faith then whispered and signalled the Potential to follow her. The trainer nodded his head at Faith and Annabelle as the both of them rose to their feet. Faith them broke out into a jog while Annabelle, a very surprised Annabelle, jogged alongside Faith while the other Potentials looked on before they were ordered to get back up by their trainer.

Buffy saw Kennedy glaring back at her before the Potential Slayer turned to the trainer who had them start squats.

"You are due to begin your employment, are you not?" asked Teyla as Buffy turned her head towards the Athosian. But not before she glanced at Colonel Sheppard who was jogging backwards while clapping his hands together. He was encouraging Tara and Willow, both of whom looked exhausted, while they were jogging. Buffy caught his eyes for just an instant before looking away. She felt her face getting warm; and then she turned to Teyla and nodded her head.

"How about we train with those bantos sticks later tonight?" asked Buffy as she and Teyla walked towards the compound while hearing the Colonel's voice ringing out at Tara and Willow. Teyla agreed as the both of them walked into the house.

"Come on you two… last round, I promise." A very calm Colonel Sheppard said.

"That's what you said last time," yelled an exhausted Willow whose shirt was now clinging to her skin thanks to her sweat, as was Tara whose ponytail was flopping every which way while her sweat covered hair was matted to her scalp. Buffy chuckled as she walked into the house with Teyla before going their separate ways. Teyla was heading for the kitchen where Ronan and McKay were having breakfast while Buffy rushed up the stairs and rushed to the room she shared with Dawn. She wanted to take a shower before she and Dawn had to leave for the High School.

In the meantime, Tara and Willow were panting while their jog slowly turned into a walk. Colonel Sheppard then, while patches of dampness on his shirt could be seen, chuckled and stopped. He then asked the girls to stand around for a few minutes while he rushed to check on the other Potentials who were still training.

"I'm gonna die," wheezed Willow as she bent over while her hands were on her knees, "yeap, I'm gonna die."

"It's just our first day, Willow," Tara struggled to whisper as she placed her hands on her knees as well. "Look at the bright side, at least this burns the slices of pizza we had last night."

"Ha ha ha," Willow said sarcastically while Tara chuckled, "our bodies are going to hurt later and…"

"And then we'll get a massage," Tara said in a husky voice as she stared at Willow before a smirk appeared on her lips. "from each other."

"Vixen," Willow said as the Colonel walked back over to the two girls.

"So, what are we talking about?"

"Oh how Willow and I are going to massage each other later tonight and…"

"Too much information," the Colonel cried out while waving his hands around. Tara and Willow chuckled before he slowly turned the both of them around, and then placed his arms around their shoulders, "get some rest; lay down a little if you want. Now the real training starts."

"This isn't because of the whole we're massaging each other, is it?" Willow asked, "I mean I could skip the massage, and…"

"Hey," cried out Tara before she playfully scowled at her girlfriend, "there is no trading for massages for anything else. I demand my massages, and…"

"Too much information," the Colonel winced before Tara chuckled and then leaned in to kiss the Colonel on his cheek. She then pulled back and glanced at a smiling Willow who looked away. Tara then chuckled as Colonel Sheppard kissed the side of Willow's head. He then looked straight ahead and said, while his arms were around both Willow and Tara's shoulders, "now, who's ready for some unarmed takedowns."

"Oh God," Willow wheezed as she hung her head while Tara giggled.

**Sunnydale High,** **Principal Wood's office, 1020 hours.**

Robin was seated behind his desk as he leaned back against the chair. His elbows lay on the armrest while he stared at the white board in front of him. Behind the board, which had the schedules of his day, lay a depository of his weapons; various knives, axes, and daggers… one of which he used last night against a group of three vampires that cornered and then attacked him.

Luckily the larger bruises were away from his facial area, while the punches that connected with the side of his face could be explained away by being injured while training at the gym.

He continued to stare at the board until he heard a knock on the door. He glanced up at the clock high on the wall and then stood up, straightening his clothes, before saying, "come in."

"Robin?" asked Buffy as she opened the door slightly and peeked in. The Slayer arrived at the school with Dawn after being driven by a lieutenant. While Dawn went to class, Buffy ran into Robin who asked her to meet him when she had a free moment. Buffy noticed the serious look on his face and immediately nodded her head. After Buffy agreed, the Principal grinned and told Buffy that he would see her soon before walking away. Once she had a free moment between sessions, Buffy knocked on his door, "you wanted to see me?"

"Please, come in," he said as Buffy walked into the office and closed the door behind her. She saw him walking around his desk while motioning her towards the round table in the center of the office. Buffy nodded her head and took a few steps to one of the chairs around the table while Robin walked over to the board. He then silently pushed it upwards to reveal a set of doors. He then turned to Buffy and gave her a smile before he grabbed one of the handles, and opened the door.

Buffy's eyes then widened and she released the seat back before walking around the table upon seeing the knives, daggers, and axes that were hanging on the wall. And there were more weapons revealed when Robin opened the other door.

"We need to talk, Buffy," Robin said as the Slayer turned to him with a surprised look on her face, "I know that something is about to happen, and I know that you're the Slayer."

TBC.

 


	66. Chapter 66

**Principal Wood's Office, 1030 hours.**

Staring directly at Robin, analysing his body language and facial features, Buffy tried to wrap around her head what she just heard, 'did he just say what I think he just said?' She then shook her head and narrowed her eyebrows together in confusion while more questions swam in her head about how the school principal knew that she was a Slayer. But while her mind was thinking one thing, her lips opened and Buffy said something else- all so that she hoped Robin would think she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Ummm… what now?" Buffy tilted her head, acting confused while shaking her head and narrowing her eyes. At the same time placing her hands on her waist, "huh?"

"A slayer," Robin said waving his hands before pointing at Buffy, "you. That's you. A Slayer."

"That's a thrash metal band, right?" Buffy replied with a quizzical expression, one that she hoped would change the Principal's mind.

Robin took in a deep breath and then sighed before crossing his arms over his chest and saying, "Slayer." He then pointed at Buffy with a finger while shifting his weight from one foot to another, "that's you. And there's no sense in trying to be confused. I know who you are. I know what this school's gone through… I know we're on the Hellmouth." Buffy frowned at hearing that name and looked away while Robin continued to talk, "and I know that something's coming, Buffy."

"I think you've got the wrong idea, and…" Buffy shook her head and waved her hand as she nervously laughed. She then told Robin, "you're a good kidder," before she was about to turn around. However, it was as she was about to turn that Robin called for her once again; this time by saying the last thing she ever expected to here.

"Buffy," Robin said. Buffy was already partially turned as Robin placed his hand on the back of a nearby chair, "I know who you are. I know about Slayers and Watchers because, well, my mother was one."

"Excuse me?" Buffy whispered as she narrowed her eyes before turned her body back towards him, "you… wait… what? What did you just say?"

"Do I have your attention now?" Robin whispered as he took a step towards Buffy, his hand still holding onto the chair back for support.

He saw the expectant look on Buffy's face, the same look that Robin's ex-girlfriend gave him when they broke it off so that he could take the Principal's position in Sunnydale. It was a look that said 'keep on talking without any veering off into tangents'. And so he spoke without any veering off topic. In fact, Robin went straight to the point.

"My mother was a Slayer," Robin revealed as Buffy's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide open. Buffy's mind felt as if it was in a jumble, as if she could hear a buzzing sound in the back of her ears before realizing she was actually hearing the sound of her own blood. She looked away from Robin and wondered to herself if it was actually possible for a Slayer to have a child.

'A slayer having children?' Buffy stared at the table top in stunned silence while Robin simply stood across from her. She glanced at the bald man and then wondered why she never heard of this, she wondered why the Watcher Diaries said nothing of Slayer who had children. She wondered why Giles, of all people, never told her about any Slayer having any children, 'he didn't tell me anything because all of us… Slayers… we Slayers die too early. All too early.'

Buffy was about to ask a question as she stared at Robin; but the latter beat her to the punch.

"She was a Slayer in New York," Robin said in a whisper while his eyes had a forlorn look to them as he pulled the chair he was holding, back, and then took a seat while motioning for Buffy to do the same as well. He then leaned forward and placed his arms on the table top and twiddled his fingers together while continuing to speak, "when she died, her Watcher took me in and taught me everything I know."

"I.. I think I need to sit down," Buffy whispered shaking her head and pulling back a chair, forgetting that Robin already motioned for her to take a seat as she stood rooted to one spot staring at Robin in shock. It was a second later that Robin verbally asked Buffy to take a seat that the blonde Slayer pulled back a seat and sat down while thinking, 'a Slayer with a child. Does.. does that mean that I can…' Buffy then shook her head glancing up as she eyed Robin across from her, 'what kind of a life is this for a child? What life does the child of a Slayer have, and… I… Stop Buffy, just stop. You have a lot of questions so just ask him. But first…' Buffy took in a deep breath as she tried to get her bearings back together and then stared at Robin dead into his eyes, "yea, I am a Slayer."

"I told you so," Robin said nodding his head while sill leaning forward with his arms on the table.

"But… how?" Buffy asked as Robin arched an eyebrow upon hearing that question. It was then that Buffy realized what she said, and how it may have been construed before she waved her arms and clarified, "I mean, yeah I know how babies are made and…." Buffy then stopped talking and hung her head. She shook it while chuckling nervously and rubbing her forehead before looking back up as her cheeks turned red. "What I meant to say was that I never heard about any Slayers having children."

"Yeah, well… my mother's watcher didn't want to advertise it," he replied.

"So," Buffy said while shaking her head. There were so many questions in her mind that she didn't know where to even begin. "So…." Buffy said while shaking her head once again.

Sensing that Buffy was having trouble trying to come up with a question to ask, Robin started the ball rolling, "my mom was already pregnant with me when she was called as a Slayer." Buffy pursed her lips and stared at Robin who continued to talk, "she wanted to have a normal life with me, so we left New York when I turned one. I still remember that day." Robin then took in a deep breath while Buffy listened intently, "but she couldn't keep away. We returned a year later, and she did two years after that."

"How… how did she die. "

"A vampire killed her," Robin whispered as he remembered his mother, and the last night they had seen each other. 'The mission is what matters,' Robin recalled his mother saying before leaving him with Crowley. "And I…. well, Crowley raised me. And when I was old enough, he trained me in Slayer combat."

"So you have powers?" asked a curious Buffy as she leaned forward.

"No, no," chuckled Robin staring at Buffy, "I'm not like you or my mother. I'm fully human. A really good looking human, but human. I used what Crowley trained me to go out and become an independent hunter… well, let's just say that I'm not big with the bumpy headed crowd."

"Same here," whispered Buffy as she closed her eyes with a smile on her face and looked way. She chuckled and rubbed her throat before looking back at Robin. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Buffy started chuckling again. "Sorry," she apologized waving her arms about, "but.. but this is something new for me. I have so any questions in my head."

"I thought you might," Robin said as he glanced at his table while Buffy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. He was thinking about the hidden bag in one of his table's drawers, the very same bag that was supposed to be handed down the Slayer line to the newest one. But it was never handed down, Robin kept it to himself as a memento of his mother and what she meant to him. He couldn't give it away, not yet. He looked bad at the chuckling Buffy still shaking her head before he asked, "this isn't a date but… but I'd like to take you out for lunch. Answer any questions you might have."

"I….." Buffy didn't know what to say. Well, she did know what to say… she wanted to say yes. But she was also thinking about the lunch date she already had with Tara and Willow, and was planning on asking Colonel Sheppard to join her. But then again, she wasn't to know more about Robin's mother, Nikki Wood, and she felt that lunch would be better sounding than going somewhere for dinner.

Buffy wanted to know about the past Slayers, and here was the son of one of her ancestors. The son of one of her sister Slayers. "Lunch?" Buffy said. Robin nodded his head before saying that it was going to be entirely professional.

"Professional lunch." Robin assured her.

And Buffy nodded her head before slowly getting up from her seat, "I.. I have to make a call." Buffy also knew that she needed to talk to Tara and Willow… to tell them why she was making their lunch a dinner instead. 'Hopefully, Robin will talk to the others later…. Maybe not today or tonight but later. I need to talk to Giles first, I need to confirm his story. And then we'll talk to John. If Robin's as trained as he says he is, then we need him. For what's coming, we need everyone we can find.'

Robin nodded his head before telling Buffy that they'll meet in an hour, "my treat."

"Okay," Buffy said. She was still in disbelief that one of her predecessors had a child, and the child was sitting across from her. She looked away and wondered for an instant what it must have been like to be the child of a Slayer, once of many questions that were swimming in her mind as she looked back at Robin, and then at the weapons rack behind him, and then back at Robin once again. She nodded her head before whispering they would meet in an hour.

Buffy then walked out the door and, still in a daze, shuffled towards her office. She was so distracted given what just happened that Buffy missed Willow and Tara waving at her from the entrance to the counsellor's office. Hearing her name being called, Buffy looked up and a smile formed on her face at the sight of her two friends.

"Hey," Buffy said, her voice low but still cheerful, "what are you two doing here? Don't you like.. you know… have class or something?"

"Cancelled," Tara said shrugging her shoulders, "apparently the professor left Sunnydale for an emergency vacation."

"And since you said you had no plans for lunch,, then…."

"I… I actually have a lunch date with…." Buffy stopped herself from talking as she glanced at the arched eyebrow on Tara. The Slayer then reach out and held Tara's arms while shaking her head and saying, "I mean it's not a date-date. It's more of a professional lunch."

A smile then appeared on Tara's face. She knew that her reaction would make Buffy nervous, especially since Buffy already told her about the kiss she shared with her brother. It was something that Tara did not want to hear about… although Willow did. And Tara was sure that Willow was keen to hear about the kiss between Buffy and Colonel Sheppard just so she could see Tara squirm. Tara chuckled before saying that if Buffy and her 'date', to which Willow started to make 'smooch' sounds as she perked her lips. Tara then patted Willow's back, which was when she stopped make the sounds and grinned at Buffy eyeing her through narrowed eyelids.

"When are you heading off for lunch?" Tara asked Buffy.

"In an hour," she replied before looking behind her for any sign of students or Robin. With the hallway empty, Buffy turned back towards Tara and Willow and leaned forward, "there's something I need to talk to you guys about later tonight."

"About John?" winked Willow while Tara narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. The redhead glanced at Tara and chuckled before her eyes shifted back to Buffy who was laughing as well at Tara's reaction. Buffy's laughter trailed off before she told Willow and Tara that she just learned something about Slayer, but she needed to talk to Giles first before anyone else.

Willow nodded her head, as did Tara, before the latter said that they'll go catch up with Xander, "he'll be on his break soon."

"Is John here with you guys?" Buffy asked, "I mean did he drop you two off or…"

"Teyla's waiting for us in the car," Tara said, "Willow drove us here."

"John let you drive alone? In the day?"

"I just made a reasoned argument that vampires won't come after us if we were in the open, and it was sunny outside," Tara said pointing at the window in Buffy's office that looked out at the front lawn, "plus Teyla wanted to come with us for lunch. So we've got protection."

"And besides, John's meeting us at the Espresso Pump for lunch with Ronan, Faith, and the other potentials." Willow said as Buffy countered by reminded the redhead that she earlier said the Colonel wasn't with them.

"He's not," Willow sheepishly said waving her arms about, "he's with Faith and the others."

Buffy's heart fell at not being able to accompany Willow and Tara, especially with Colonel Sheppard there. In addition, there was a small part of her that felt jealous at Faith for being in the same car as the Colonel. Buffy still had bad memories of Faith taking over her body and using it to harm her friends, to have sex with Riley, and then attempt at running away. But Buffy still felt that the information the Principal had to say was more important. Buffy needed to find out more about her power.

Buffy then told herself that faith was different, that this Faith wasn't the one who took over her body. That's what Buffy kept telling herself at least. 'She won't. She won't. She won't because… well, because I'll kill her.' Buffy then shook her head and sighed while forcing those thoughts to the side. It was time to start trusting Faith, Buffy thought to herself, they were the only two Slayers alive.

And the needed each other, whether she liked it or not.

"I'll see you guys at four?" Buffy said finally after a few seconds of silence.

"Pizza at the Compound?" Tara said.

"We have another Potential coming tonight," Willow said, "after she gets in, we order some pizza."

"Sounds good," Buffy said, "see you guys then."

Tara and Wiloolws waved their hands before turning around and then walking away. Buffy watched them walk after before tunring around to the office door, walking in, and then heading for her desk.

'Ok, so one more hour.' Buffy thought to herself as she looked at the wall clock, "and then I can have the so many questions in my head answered."

TBC.

 


End file.
